The Musical
by hollymrp
Summary: When some anonymous moron has the idea to put on a play at SFIT, everyone is less than excited. But, when rehearsal one is over, their feelings on the matter change, and maybe- just maybe- it'll end up being a good show. (Warning: Very stupid. My attempt at humor. Also, there will be many OCs.) ON HIATUS
1. Gogo Doesn't Even Lift

**A/N: I bet none of you saw this one coming! Anyway, I'm totally obsessed with Big Hero 6, and will most definitely be posting another, more action-based story eventually. But I just felt like this would be a funny idea, where all the characters we know and love as well as a bunch of OCs are working on a production of The Lion King at SFIT. Idk, I just thought it would be cool (I know that in real life they'd probably all break down on stage, considering Hiro's awkwardness in the movie, lol). I don't own Big Hero 6 or The Lion King. Also, obviously, Tadashi is still alive. Enjoy chapter one of this stupid story!**

 _Rehearsal One; SFIT Performance; The Lion King_

(Hiro's POV)

So _this_ was what being on stage was really like.

The lights felt intruding, and somehow, it was as if we already had the eyes of an audience on us. It made me uncomfortable.

We were all gathered in a circle, the entire cast, but none of us had any idea what we were doing. When someone has the brilliant idea to organize a production at a nerd school, you're going to have to endure a lot of awkward teens trying to act.

"So, welcome, everyone, to our first rehearsal!" They'd brought in a director named Erica who obviously hadn't been informed that she'd be trying to manage a group of talentless nerds. She was obviously trying to be peppy and happy, to boost our zest.

A smattering of unenthusiastic 'yays' broke out.

"Okay, role call. Gogo?"

"Right here," the dark-haired girl announced lazily. She'd somehow scored the part of Rafiki. Not sure how she was going to pull it off, but whatever.

"Honey Lemon?"

"Present!" I'm pretty sure the gangly blonde girl was the only excited one. She would be playing adult Nala.

"Wasabi?"

"Yup." He was playing Pumbaa.

"Fred?"

"Right here." Fred raised a hand. He was playing Timon (for good reason).

"Tadashi?"

"I'm here."

I grinned at my big brother. I couldn't help it. He was playing adult Simba, to much rejoicing.

"Hiro?"

"Hi." I gave Erica a shy wave. Somehow, I was playing young Simba. My audition had almost made me have a panic attack, and I know it hadn't been that good. They just didn't have any other boys my age to play little Simba.

"Calliope?"

"I'm over here."

Calliope was a transfer from another city somewhere; she was very mature, and actually had a beautiful singing voice. I'd heard her when I passed the girl's bathroom last week on my way to one of my classes. She was very pretty and seemed really sweet, but somehow didn't have any friends. She was really quiet and was always sketching or scribbling frantic notes. She was my age and would be playing young Nala.

"Nicholas?"

"Nick, if you don't mind."

Nick was tall, toned, and handsome. I'd seen him around school for a while and gained that he had a sort of air of strength and intensity about him. He'd be playing Mufasa.

"Daniel?"

"Here."

The deep-voiced, lanky blonde would be playing the part of Scar.

Erica called the rest of the names; all of the principle roles, stage crew, and ensemble. Everyone.

"Who's ready to get started?" Erica grinned at us, trying to get us excited.

The whooping that followed was possibly even less enthusiastic than before.

"Alright then."

I flipped through the very long script, eyeing my own lines and songs. I'd have to memorize all of _that_!? A burning panic spread through my chest and my heart sank in despair.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. I have _two_ solo songs!?" Gogo seemed furious as she speed-read her script. "And I get to hit Tadashi with a stick?"

"Oh, no!" Tadashi, in a clownish mood, covered his head as if Gogo was already brandishing the Rafiki staff at him, which got a laugh out of the kids playing the hyenas.

"I don't have any solos, so consider yourself lucky." Calliope flicked her long golden-brown hair over her shoulder.

"I have one." My voice cracked.

"Very nice for you." Daniel lightly cuffed my shoulder. "It's only the best song in the whole show."

"Um, excuse me?" Fred's hand jutted out from his cocked hip. "'Hakuna Matata' is obviously the best."

"Naw, 'Circle of Life' for the win!" Gogo threw up a hand.

"Everybody shut up! We all know it's 'Can You Feel The Love Tonight'."

The sarcastic outburst from Calliope made us all burst into laughter.

"Oh, thank goodness, we're cutting 'Chow Down'." Zara, the girl playing Shenzi the hyena, let out a relieved sigh.

"Wait. Literally, Gogo's first line is 'WEEBANA QUASH BANANA WEEE!'?" Fred laughed until he had tears in his eyes.

"I wouldn't cross her." Zara eyed the staff that Erica had just handed to Gogo. "She might hit you with that."

Deciding to get in on the joke, I dropped to my knees and clasped my hands, bowing my head. "Let us all pray for Tadashi. Let it be God's will that Gogo does not give him a concussion."

I grinned when everyone laughed.

"Alright, everyone." Erica clapped her hands. "Let's start at the beginning, with 'Circle of Life'."

She organized the number, placing ensemble members and principle actors alike. Near the end of the song, at the beginning of the key change, Gogo had to lift me onto her shoulder. She struggled with me and I almost fell, but thankfully Tadashi was there to catch me and right me on her shoulder.

By the end of rehearsal one, 'Circle of Life' looked great. Just some practice and polishing would make it perfect. Gogo hadn't gotten to sing today, since it was mostly focused on choreography at the moment, but Erica promised that we'd be singing soon (most likely tomorrow, when we started *gulp* 'I Just Can't Wait To Be King' and I had to be the main singer).

"Alright, everyone. Nice job today. Also, Hiro, learn the words to your song for tomorrow, cool?"

"Okay." Blushing, I nodded and made a mental note.

We all put our hands in and cheered (for some reason), "GOGO DOESN'T EVEN LIFT!"

"So, what do you think?"

After the rehearsal, in the room we shared, Tadashi and I were starting our homework.

I spun my desk chair around to face him. "I think it's fun and awful. I'm terrified and excited at the same time, and I have no idea who thought this was a good idea. I want to punch them while giving them a hug."

Tadashi laughed. "Well, at least we get to play the lead, right?"

"Yeah. 'We'."

I finished my homework within the hour and picked up my script.

I sang for about thirty seconds before I wailed, "Tadashi, I can't do this!"

"Hey, you don't sound that bad." My big brother lay his hand on my shoulder. "Really. Just be more confident."

I cleared my throat and took a deep breath. "'I'm gonna be a mighty-'"

Tadashi tapped my forehead. "No one's going to feel that. Put more strength into it. You're a frisky young lion; not a wimpy little mouse." Tadashi pulled me to my feet and made me adjust my stance to a strong, straight-up position.

"You could be a director, Tadashi."

"No comments! Sing."

"'I'm-'"

"Bigger."

"I'm gonna-'"

"BIGGER!"

"'I'm gonna be a mighty king, so enemies beware!'"

"That's better!" Tadashi fist-bumped me. "Do that the whole time, and no one will know that you have zero experience."

I spent all night singing, learning all of the notes and words of 'I Just Can't Wait To Be King'. By the end, I knew the song like the back of my hand and sounded like a professional singing it. I actually started to really _feel_ it; I felt powerful and strong in a way I never had.

Maybe I _could_ do this after all.

 **A/N: But wouldn't Hiro be so cute as young Simba!? I had to put him in that role, because it would just be so adorable. Also, don't ask me why I let Gogo be Rafiki. I didn't want any of the OCs to be Rafiki, so… yeah. Hope you enjoyed, and I'll have a new chapter up soon!**


	2. Hiro Needs A Backspot

**A/N: Hi again! So, yeah, I'm doing another chapter of this. I don't own Big Hero 6 or The Lion King. Thanks to everyone who reviewed, you're all so nice and your reviews make my day! I really don't have anything else to say... so... thanks, I guess. Enjoy chapter two.**

 _Rehearsal Two; SFIT Performance; The Lion King_

(Hiro's POV)

The confidence I'd felt last night about my song? Gone.

The stage lights were in my face, I didn't know what I was doing, I couldn't get into it, and it was getting harder to breathe every second.

In the wings, Tadashi squeezed my shoulder. "You'll be okay," he told me. "Just breathe."

I nodded, but when I went out there, his words slipped out the window.

"'I'm gonna be a mighty king-'" my voice was weak and cracking.

I was furious with myself. "Can I try again?"

"Sure! That's okay, Hiro!" Erica called from her spot in the center of the auditorium. I didn't even know this school _had_ an auditorium before this.

Taking Calliope's hand, I waited for the music. In the beginning of the song, we would be skipping hand-in-hand to center stage, followed by Henry,the boy who was to be playing Zazu.

There was the music. _Go, Hiro_.

I made myself smile (Erica had specifically told us to look like we were having the time of our lives with this song), and skipped forward, gently pulling Calliope along with me. Okay, maybe my pull wasn't so gentle. Calliope toppled into me, sending us both down onto the stage, laughing.

"Are you okay, Callie?" I extended a hand to help her up, internally surprised that I'd just given her a nickname without even thinking about it.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks." She accepted my help and didn't even question me calling her 'Callie'.

We started over, not falling this time, and I felt myself smile for real. This was actually pretty fun.

"'I'm gonna be a mighty king, so enemies beware!'"

Wow! Had that really been my voice? I sounded... awesome!

"Gorgeous, Hiro!" Erica called briefly in the second between my line and Zazu's line.

I'd started out strong; now I had to maintain that power. I knew I'd have no trouble.

"'I'm gonna be the main event, like no king was before! I'm brushing up on looking down! I'm working on my ROAR!'"

Joy and excitement filled my chest. I was _totally_ killing this!

Calliope and I skipped and danced around the stage, Henry scrambled about, and, when the ensemble came on, they actually looked like they were having a pretty darn good time (even if they couldn't dance that well).

But we worked at it. An hour into the rehearsal, we had it down.

"Good job, guys. That looked great!" I could tell Erica meant it. "And Hiro, great job!"

"Thank you." Pride glowed in my smile.

"Alright... let's also do 'They Live In You' today, since that one is pretty short and we don't need many ensemble members."

Nick put his hand on my shoulder. "Alright, son. Let's go."

I grinned. "Okay, Dad."

I caught Tadashi casting jealous glances our way. Had he wanted to play Mufasa? Or did he just not want Nick to be touching me?

Erica set up Nick and I in the center of the stage, then chose three ensemble members who could sing well enough.

They were set up behind us and given scripts so they'd know when to come in. Apparently, Nick had memorized this song; he sang it with a soft intensity that brought tears to my eyes. Erica, the whole time, was telling us what to do choreography-wise and praising Nick's singing. And it really was pretty dang good.

When we finished 'They Live In You', we went over what we'd learned so far, running everything in order. Erica yelled to us the whole time, fixing every number. We were all exhausted, but we kept at it. I found myself actually wishing the rehearsal was longer; not only was I really starting to get excited about this, but I was also enjoying the time I spent with everyone in the cast. There were some really hilarious moments; like when Gogo dropped me for real (which hurt at first but in the end was just funny), like when Fred was trying to do one of the 'Hakuna Matata' moves and his pants split at the stitches, like when Wasabi slipped and fell on his butt. It felt as if we were all truly becoming a cast, not just a bunch of nerds.

Our cheer of "HIRO NEEDS A BACKSPOT!" was in perfect harmony.

That night, I was reading over my lines and eating ice cream, while Tadashi was practicing 'Endless Night', his solo, in the other room. After a while, I gave up reading my script; I wanted to listen to Tadashi.

"'You promised you'd be there whenever I needed you; whenever I call your name, you're not anywhere. I'm trying to hold on, just waiting to hear your voice; one word, just a word, will do to end this nightmare...'"

Woah. Tadashi had a beautiful singing voice - beyond beautiful. I tried not to start crying. Hearing him sing was moving.

"Tadashi, why didn't you tell me you could sing like that?"

"Huh?" He jumped, whipping around to face me. He'd obviously been so into it that he'd forgotten I was there.

"You have a really amazing voice." I spun my chair in lazy circles. "Never knew you had it in you."

"Oh. Thanks."

I looked over at Tadashi, noting his flushed cheeks. "No problem."

 **A/N: And there you have it! Chapter two. And I'm already well into chapter 3, which will most likely be posted tomorrow. Love you all, thanks for your support!**


	3. We Can Feel The Love Tonight

**A/N: Chapter 2 was much less funny than I planned, and I apologize for that. Also, Claude (a.k.a my laptop- my annoying friend made me name it) is a retard and won't let me put a larger indent between paragraphs if I want to separate them, so I apologize for any odd transitions. Also, thanks so much for all of your wonderful reviews! They always put a smile on my face. Okay, into chapter 3!**

 _Rehearsal Three; SFIT Performance; The Lion King_

(Hiro's POV)

"Where has the starlight gone? Dark… is the day.'"

My eyes filled with tears. Tadashi, when he tried, had a gorgeous singing voice. He was standing at down center, singing 'Endless Night'. Even Erica was silenced; Tadashi didn't need any direction, nor choreography. It all just came naturally. My brother was brilliant.

Callie was crying as well. "He's really good, you know," she whispered to me.

I nodded. "He sure is."

"Alright, Tadashi, great job. You sound marvelous. Okay, everyone, let's move on. 'Hakuna Matata', with ensemble this time." Erica motioned for us to all get up from our red velvet theater seats, where everyone that wasn't performing would sit to watch.

"Okay, Fred, Wasabi, and Hiro, positions. Tadashi, backstage for your entrance. Ensemble, group at center. I'll place you in a moment."

Nodding, we all followed her directions. She set up the ensemble behind us in scattered places and oversaw our starting positions; me crumpled on the floor, Wasabi tiptoeing towards me, and Fred milling about at down right.

I acted like I was passed out while Wasabi, script in hand, inched timidly towards me. "'Uh-oh. Hey, Timon? You better come look.'" His stage voice was oddly confident. Huh. Maybe this would go smoother than yesterday had. I didn't want to see any more pants splitting.

I waited for Erica's cue to raise my head, the whole time trying not to crack up at the Timon-and-Pumbaa dialogue going on.

"Head up, Hiro!" Erica called.

I lifted my head and blinked rapidly as if trying to make sense of the scene around me, my jaw slightly agape. Fred and Wasabi yelled in alarm and jumped back while I pretended to look confused.

"Nice, you guys!" Erica praised us.

"'You okay, kid? I saved you. Well, Pumbaa helped.'" Fred, actually doing a surprisingly wonderful job with his acting, examined me, furrowing his eyebrows. "'He looks blue.'"

"'I'd say more brownish gold...'" Wasabi cocked his head, and everyone in the ensemble held back laughter.

As the two went through their lines, I tried not to laugh. The whole scene was just funny (until, of course, I said my lines).

I let the despair in my lines sound genuine. "'Something terrible. I can never go back! I don't want to talk about it.'"

"Lovely, Hiro!" Erica called.

We finished saying our lines for this scene, and Erica started the music, walking the ensemble through the choreography, since Wasabi, Fred, and I already knew ours. We all pretty much nailed it.

"Okay, guys, really great job. Alright, let's split up; Scar, hyenas, and ensemble, stage. Tadashi and Honey, behind the curtain; Gogo, left wing; Hiro and Calliope, right wing."

Everyone went to the spots we'd been assigned. Erica sped around to each group, telling us what we would be practicing; I could hear everything being said. Scar and his group would be doing 'Be Prepared' with Erica, Tadashi and Honey would be working on singing 'Can You Feel The Love Tonight', Gogo would be practicing her singing of 'Circle of Life', and Callie and I would be working on one of the scenes we had together.

"Hiro!" The pretty blonde girl that was playing Sarabi hurried after me before I reached the right wing, quickly saying to me, "You were amazing in 'Just Can't Wait To Be King' yesterday! And so were you, Callie!"

What was her name?

"You guys are both great," she continued.

"Thanks, Katherine!" Calliope accepted a hug from the girl.

Katherine turned to hug me as well, making me blush.

"KATHERINE!" Erica yelled.

She winced. "Gotta go. Have fun." Katherine hurried away with a wave.

"So, what scene did Erica say to work on?" I asked Callie.

"I think the one where you tell me about the elephant graveyard."

"Well, okay."

And, for the next hour, we went through every scene we had together.

After that, rehearsal was almost over. We had time to go over every song we'd learned so far, in the order it would appear in the show. I gulped. We weren't even allowed to stop unless we weren't supposed to be on the stage for that song.

First up was 'Circle of Life', which Gogo had been singing on the opposite side of the stage from me and Callie. We'd been able to hear her, and she'd actually sounded pretty good.

But that was no match for her display right now. Gogo sang with a confidence I'd never heard from her before, performing full out. And she was really great. She even managed to not drop me this time!

Next, 'I Just Can't Wait To Be King'. After seeing how brilliant Gogo had been, I wanted to be even better.

"'Step lively. The sooner we get to the water hole, the sooner we can leave,'" Henry drawled in a perfect Zazu voice.

Callie and I said our quick lines, skipping towards down center. Then, I began to sing, letting that passionate power that I loved to feel rush through my veins. "'I'm gonna be a mighty king, so enemies beware!'"

The entire song generated this amazing feeling in my chest. I didn't know if it was pride at my newfound talent for singing, my happiness that this show was going so well so far, my excitement to be up on stage, or everything.

'They Live In You' was up next. Nick and I took our positions, said our few lines, and then truly began. Nick sang with that beautiful, spiritual baritone that I loved a lot, and I was truly mystified; I didn't even have to fake it for the scene.

'Be Prepared' was next; I sat in a theater seat beside Tadashi to watch. I hadn't seen this number yet; I sure had heard it, though. I was stunned by how amazing it actually looked and sounded. Maybe we nerds weren't so untalented after all.

Next stop: 'Hakuna Matata'. I got into position at down center, collapsed on the floor. Ensemble set up behind me, Wasabi and Fred headed to their respective sides of the stage, and Tadashi rushed to get backstage.

We performed that song the whole way through, trying our hardest, and it all ended up working out. It made me so excited for the approaching show.

The "Big Reveal", as we called it, looked AMAZING. The Big Reveal was when I switched out for Tadashi. For that to run smoothly, we had to totally change it up from the Broadway version. The ensemble all had massive leaves in their hands that they did the dance with; now, they crowded around a platform that was set up at up center. It was meant to look like a bush; then, I would climb through it and go backstage while Tadashi snuck onto the platform, switching with me, then leaped up and threw up both hands in time to sing "'It means no worries for the rest of your days.'" It looked absolutely gorgeous.

'Endless Night' was up next. Everyone besides Tadashi and the backstage chorus made their way to theater seats to watch.

Calliope leaned over the armrest separating our seats to whisper to me, "Tadashi might have a future in stage. What do you think?"

"Most definitely. Watch him be on Broadway one day."

We shut up as Tadashi started to sing.

"'Where has the starlight gone? Dark… is the day. How can I find my way home? Home is an empty dream, lost...'" From the beginning of Tadashi's solo, everyone was hanging on his every lovely word. His voice seemed to be taking us on a journey, carrying us on an ocean of notes.

I didn't notice that I was crying until Erica yelled, "Beautiful, Tadashi! Beautiful!"

Honey skipped up to the stage for 'Can You Feel The Love Tonight'. She stood beside Tadashi, waiting for Erica to start the music.

Erica, brushing back her shoulder-length black hair, skipped over the section sung by Fred and Wasabi, since they hadn't learned it yet, stopping it seconds before Honey was supposed to come in and then jogging back to her seat behind Calliope.

Honey sang with a light soprano voice that was surprisingly clear and sweet; I'd never thought of her as much of a singer, but she sure could sing. "'Can you feel the love tonight, the peace the evening brings; the world for once in perfect harmony, with all its living things.'"

I could hear Erica whispering to Gogo behind me, "You'll be singing that part with her, so be prepared for it."

"Haha, 'be prepared'," was Gogo's response.

"No pun intended."

I leaned towards the stage to hear Tadashi sing. "'So many things to tell her, but how to make her see, the truth about my past, impossible. She'd turn away from me.'"

Wow. Gorgeous. Insanely amazing. Tadashi sounded like a Broadway actor!

"And, we're done for today!" Erica made a closing-curtain motion with her arm at the end of 'Can You Feel The Love Tonight', making us all sigh deeply in either relief or disappointment, or both.

"Not bad, Honey Lemon." Tadashi smiled at her.

"Thanks. You were great too, Tadashi!" Honey smiled back.

I felt a sudden surge of jealousy; wasn't I the only one who could make Tadashi smile that particular smile? Apparently not.

I hurried up on stage. "Hey, um, Tadashi…"

Darn. I had absolutely no idea what to say.

"Time to head home, eh, Hiro?" Tadashi ruffled my hair affectionately.

That was more like it.

We all grouped up, put our hands in, and decided on the extremely enthusiastic cheer of "WE CAN FEEL THE LOVE TONIGHT!"

In our shared bedroom at home, Tadashi and I helped each other practice our songs and lines. I needed more help than Tadashi, and thankfully, he was better at giving advice than I.

"When you say that line, the 'you're so weird' one to Scar, be more happy-go-lucky than in his face. You're supposed to be oblivious to his evil nature; not egging him on."

"That note needs to be a little higher."

"SMILE!"

These were some of Tadashi's suggestions. Some were really helpful and made me understand what I was supposed to do; others, not so much. Those were all that-was-awful-now-do-it-right-before-I-punch-you.

I collapsed on my bed after my final run-through of 'I Just Can't Wait To Be King', totally worn out. Tadashi just had to run through 'Endless Night' once or twice, according to him; thankfully, that was easy to critique. There wasn't really much that he had to fix.

His beautiful voice lulled me to sleep.

My brilliant Broadway brother.

 **A/N: Well, there you have it. Chapter 3. So, I'd like to ask you guys' opinion on a few things. First of all, what do you guys think of the Tadashi/Hiro brotherly love? Is their relationship as brothers accurately written? Second of all, which OCs need to be elaborated on? I think I'm going to have Calliope be one of the main OCs, so I'll add to her personality. I might have Nick and Daniel be pretty important as well, and of course Erica; the rest are mostly just so there's a full cast. And third, should I have any drama of sorts, like someone in the cast getting hurt or passing out, or have the cast struggling with rumors or social/relationship issues? Or just stick to the light-hearted funny stuff that's all about confidence? Also, what are your favorite characters/scenes/parts of 'The Lion King'? And I also want to know your favorite Broadway musicals, just because (I love 'Newsies' and 'Les Miserables' so much. Anyone else?) . Let me know what you think. Love you all! XOXO**


	4. Rafiki Lives In You

**A/N: So there are a couple issues with this story that I'd like to apologize for. First up, I refer to 'right wing', 'up center', 'down right', and other stuff like that. Those are areas of the stage (for those of you who don't have any idea what I'm talking about). I'd explain what the directions are, but I'm lazy, so look it up if you want to know where they're standing when I refer to 'down center' or something like that. And also, there's been some confusion between Nick and Daniel. They're so similar and have, like, zero personality, so I'll fix that. I'm going to give them totally different personalities and way of talking, starting in this chapter. I'm sorry for these issues. Enjoy chapter 4! (Oh, and thanks to The Girl With 4 Fears for her awesome idea, which I am now most definitely going to use!)**

 _Rehearsal Four; SFIT Performance; The Lion King_

(Hiro's POV)

"'NANTS INGONYAMA BAGITHI BABA!'"

"Beautiful, Gogo! Beautiful!" Erica called out to Gogo, praising her for the amazing, famous cry that she performed gorgeously in the beginning of 'Circle of Life'.

We'd taken a day off from rehearsing yesterday, and I think we were all excited to be back. We were going over everything in order again; then we'd start learning new numbers and scenes. Our goal for today was to put together the scene after 'Circle of Life', the scene before 'Can You Feel The Love Tonight' (where adult Simba and Nala are reunited), the 'Lioness Hunt' dance, and dancing and singing for 'Shadowland'. If we had time, Erica said we might do 'He Lives In You' at the end.

"'From the day we arrive on the planet, and blinking, step into the sun...'"

I loved listening to Gogo sing. I'd never thought she'd had it in her to be that amazing. There was something about the way she played this role; something that brought out a regal side in her personality. I realized what a good queen she'd make… then realized that I'd missed my cue.

I didn't even apologize; I just hurried to step up on the upstage platform from backstage.

The choreography still looked okay. Thank goodness.

The rest of the show (at least what we'd done so far- scenes included) looked even better than it had two days ago. Everyone seemed to be improving every day. By dress rehearsal in two months, I knew this would be spectacular. Well, as long as Wasabi didn't fall, Gogo didn't drop me, and Fred's pants didn't rip.

"Great job, everybody! That looked really great!" Erica clapped her hands, then immediately switched to drill sergeant mode. "ALL ENSEMBLE GIRLS GET ON STAGE!"

"THEN DROP AND GIVE ME TWENTY!" Zara mocked loudly, causing torrents of laughter to fill the auditorium.

All of the girls in the ensemble gathered onstage in a bunched herd, waiting to be positioned.

"Calliope, get up here!" Erica called. "You're in this too!"

"Oh! Sorry!" The girl jumped up, a notebook falling from her lap, pages flying. She madly struggled to fix it, ending up just leaving it on the ground with splayed papers and taking a psychotic dash to the stage. She leaped up onto it with one jump.

Taking a couple steps over, I saw that it wasn't a notebook at all, but a sketchbook, every page covered in graphite. The pencil she'd been drawing with was on the ground with the notebook; picking both up, I leafed through the pages.

Whoa. Callie had a gift.

The drawings ranged from the breathtakingly real to to the extremely weird. But every drawing was gorgeous.

Intrigued, I flipped to her latest sketch, the one she'd been working on when she was so rudely interrupted. I knew immediately what it was, even though it still lacked several embellishing details. The likeness of Tadashi, standing strong at down center, was unmistakable, his mouth open slightly and his eyes shut as he sang what I assumed was 'Endless Night', guessing from the dark background spangled with stars.

Why wasn't her art in a museum!?

I looked up to see Erica trying to lead an incredibly confused, distressed bunch of uncoordinated girls in an incredibly challenging, complicated dance that required coordination.

Only Callie looked like she knew what she was doing. She easily mimicked every one of Erica's moves, having no problem with anything. I watched her move with grace and quickness across the stage and smiled. She was really good.

I closed Calliope's sketchbook and placed it with care in her backpack just before Nick took a seat in the one beside mine.

Tadashi shot Nick a dirty look. If the brunette noticed, he didn't show it.

"Are you glad that we do not have to do that dance?" Nick nodded at the stage.

"Yeah. Most definitely. It looks really difficult. I'd probably injure myself." This got a rolling laugh out of Nick.

"We would not want our lead to be injured, now would we?" He brushed his fingers lightly against my shoulder.

"Hey, Hiro! Nick!" Daniel leaped onto the back of the seat in front of us, resting a foot on the armrest between our seats. "How's it goin'? Glad to be back?"

"It has only been one day…" Compared to Daniel, Nick was stoic as a rock.

"So? I missed it." Daniel shrugged, then turned to Tadashi. "Think you'd die in this dance number?"

"Probably." Tadashi's voice was flat. He immediately looked back down at his script.

"What's gotten into you?" Daniel's voice softened.

"None of your business," Tadashi snapped. He didn't even look up this time.

I was worried about Tadashi; he didn't usually act like this. But when he did, it was best to leave him alone.

"He is upset." Nick leaned forward and placed a hand on Tadashi's knee, which my brother furiously shook off. "It is alright, Tadashi." Something about his voice made me uncomfortable.

"Leave him alone." The fierceness in my tone surprised even me.

"As you wish." Nick leaned back.

I looked up at Daniel. The blonde was as upbeat and full of energy as always, even with the obvious tension among us at the moment. "So, any o' you wanna grab ice cream after rehearsal?"

"I would not mind." Nick's back was ramrod straight in reaction to the steady glare he was receiving from Tadashi. "Hiro, would you like to accompany me?" He made to take my hand, but before he could, Tadashi snatched me to his chest, his hold tighter than a straitjacket.

"HE'S BUSY." If Tadashi wasn't my amazing brother who I loved very much, I would be terrified of him; his dark look, fierce voice, and strong posture were intimidating enough. When he got physical with it, that was when things got straight-up scary.

"Whoa. Calm down, man." Daniel looked just as freaked out as I was.

"Tadashi?" Like I used to when I was little, I climbed into his lap and looked up into his face. Where had my sweet, loving brother gone?

Tadashi's gaze softened immediately. "I scared you, didn't I, Hiro? I'm so sorry." He smoothed my hair with his big hand. "Don't be scared."

"I was scared for you, not of you!" I squeezed his hand, then hopped to the floor, hearing an 'awww' from Daniel. "Don't be upset for whatever reason." I returned to my seat.

Nick didn't take his eyes off of me until Daniel and I were called to the stage to work on the scene after 'Circle of Life'; even then he watched me. It was, truly, a little creepy.

"'Hey, uncle Scar! Guess what?'"

"Stop, stop, stop." Erica cut me off immediately. "Make it bigger. Better. I want to believe it."

I tried again, this time acting all 'happy-go-lucky', like Tadashi had suggested a couple days ago. "'Hey, uncle Scar! Guuueess whaaat?'"

"Much better!" Erica praised enthusiastically.

 _Thank you, Tadashi_ , I said in my head.

"'I despise guessing games.'" Daniel spoke in a deep, drawling voice.

"'I'm gonna be king of Pride Rock!'" Grinning, I moved my hands emphatically, showing expression.

I cast a quick glance at Erica; she was smiling. So I'd done a good job. Good.

As I was going off stage after sarcastically saying, "'Nooooo problem...'" I looked quickly out at the audience and saw several interesting things; Calliope was staring starry-eyed at the proceedings on stage, Nick was watching my every move, and Tadashi was alternating staring at me and glaring at Nick. Odd.

I hid at right wing until I was called out again. I performed as if nothing was going on in the audience, but in my head I was wondering what was the deal out there.

When we were dismissed and the ensemble girls, Honey, and Gogo were called to the stage for 'Shadowland', I returned to my seat, trying to obviously lean towards Tadashi. I wasn't sure what the deal was here, but I was pretty sure Tadashi and Nick hated each other. I mean, I couldn't really tell what Nick was feeling since he showed no emotion whatsoever. Kinda like a log.

I paid no mind to the mentally fighting guys on either side of me, instead focusing solely on what was happening onstage and Daniel's joking commentary in a garbled Russian accent.

"The Honey Lemon is now walking to up center. She is singing about the shadows in the land or something…" There was more, but it got to be particularly inappropriate- even Nick and Tadashi cracked smiles at Daniel's immaturity.

"Okay, girls, start over. I want to hear you." Erica had her 'focused' face on; eyebrows furrowed, mouth pressed in a grim line.

The ensemble girls, in a triangular formation at right stage, did their dance (which looked lovely) while singing the entrance to 'Shadowland'. Honey was dancing too, and Gogo was waiting in the right wing.

The girls all sang a rhythmic chant in another language (which of course I didn't understand), then Honey stepped forward, a distressed expression on her face. "'Shadowland, the leaves have fallen. Shadowland, this was our home. The river's dry, the ground has broken. So I must go, now I must go...'" Honey's voice was clear and sweet, beautiful and easy to hear. She was doing fantastic.

Later in the song, Gogo stepped onstage and strode over to Honey. The blonde dropped to one knee and Gogo set down her staff, beginning to wave her hands over Honey's head and sing something in fast Zulu (at least, I think it was Zulu. Or maybe Swahili. Or... French?). It looked and sounded great. Then Gogo stepped to down right, Honey stood up in her down center position, and everyone but Honey started to sing. "'And where the journey may lead you, let this prayer be your guide, the winds may take you so far away. Always remember your pride...'"

While they sang that, Honey's voice ran away with dramatic runs.

Man, she was _really_ great.

Erica clapped when the number was done. "Fabulous, girls! Awesome job! Okay, now I need Fred, Tadashi, Wasabi, and Honey up on stage, please."

Tadashi jumped up and practically ran for the stage, not able to get away from Nick fast enough. He was followed (less enthusiastically) by the other three actors who had been called for.

I watched closely while the four performed their scene, all the while being directed by Erica. I flashed back to when Tadashi had been advising me while I practiced in our room, and how similar his advice was to Erica's. If my brother wasn't such a wonderful performer, I'd say he should be a director. He'd certainly be able to.

I ignored Nick's obvious leaning towards me (in fact, I leaned away from him), focusing instead on what Erica was currently saying to my brother.

"You're doing a fantastic job, Tadashi, just soften your posture a bit. And act more warm towards Honey, like you haven't seen her in forever and are so excited to finally be seeing her again. Let's say you've been dead for ten years, then you came back to life and she's the first familiar person you see when you wake up."

Tadashi nodded, a focused look in his eyes. He relaxed his shoulders, took a deep breath. Erica started the scene again; Fred being afraid of Honey was actually pretty funny to watch.

The scene looked fantastic by the time they finished; it got me excited just to see the progress we'd already made.

Erica, seeing how we still had plenty of time left, called Gogo and Tadashi to the stage for 'He Lives In You'. She decided to get creative and call up me, Nick, Callie, and Katherine to the stage; we were like Simba's memories, and we'd sing the background stuff.

Erica set us up on the upstage platform; Nick and I were standing on boxes so we'd be the focus of his memories. Callie and Katherine (young Nala and Sarabi) were standing normally on the platform. We were instructed to look at the clock high on the back wall of the auditorium and stand up straight and still, hands by our sides. Nick actually had some lines in the middle of the song somewhere, between a chorus or two. He squeezed my hand before the song started, making me cringe and yank my hand away. I couldn't help but think how if it had been Tadashi, I wouldn't have shaken him off.

"'Night, and the spirit of life, calling- mamela.'" Gogo brought an odd beauty to this song; her performance rivaled that of the original recording (well, with the awful sound system we were currently using, anyway. Thankfully we'd have a much better one for the show). We covered everything in 'He Lives In You' until the ensemble would be brought in. Instead of doing that now, Erica said we'd get to it tomorrow. She wanted to run the whole show in order _again_ , including what we'd learned today.

'Circle of Life' was brilliant as usual (I wasn't dropped this time), and the scene after was extremely successful. I remembered all of my lines and said them exactly how I was supposed to. Erica praised me zestily as I was leaving the stage, which made me feel extremely proud. 'Lioness Hunt' was next, and it looked… better than it had when they started, but still not particularly great. The girls were still a bit confused, but who could blame them? The dance would've been impossible for me to do.

I climbed the stairs to the stage to do 'Just Can't Wait To Be King', getting pumped up while I waited in the wings for my entrance. By the time the music started, I was practically hyperventilating.

"'I'm gonna be a mighty king, so enemies beware!'" I sang with an unbridled, passionate power that charged my entire body as I performed.

"Great, Hiro!" Erica called.

The entire number went spectacularly well.

The rest of this runthrough was just wonderful. Everything went smoothly, looked great, sounded flawless, and made everyone get excited.

"So, how do you guys think it's going?" Erica held out her hand, and we all joined her in a circle, a tangle of arms and hands.

"I think it looks great," Callie offered.

"It doesn't just look great; it sounds great, too." Zara smiled at everyone.

"This is going to be the best show EVER!" Katherine enthused, making me chuckle inwardly.

"What should we say this time?" Erica asked.

"Rafiki lives in you," I blurted without thinking.

"Works for me." Gogo grinned.

"Okay. One, two, three-"

"RAFIKI LIVES IN YOU!"

"Tadashi, are you okay?"

At this time of night, normally he'd be rehearsing. I was working on my part in 'He Lives In You' (well, not _my_ part, technically, since I shared it with Nick, Calliope, and Katherine), but Tadashi was sitting at his desk, silent, rubbing his temples.

"I'm fine." Something in his voice caused me not to believe him.

"Don't be sad, Tadashi." I lay my hand on his shoulder. When he looked up at me, there were tears in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Hiro, but I just need some alone time right now."

I stumbled back, surprised. Tadashi almost never requested alone time when he was upset. He preferred to talk it out with me.

"Okay. Just tell me if you need anything." I rubbed his shoulder once more before giving him what he wanted. I backed away and closed the rice-paper wall to separate our partitions of the bedroom.

 _Ding!_

I jumped. The doorbell!

"I'll get it!" I shouted as I was running down the stairs (unnecessarily; it wasn't like anyone else was hurrying to open it).

I unlocked and opened the front door to reveal Calliope standing on the doorstep, holding Tadashi's baseball cap.

"Callie! Hi!" I debated wether or not I should let her inside.

"Hey, Hiro! You and Tadashi left in such a hurry that he left his baseball cap. I stayed a bit later for… reasons..." - she blushed - "and saw this on the ground." She handed me the hat.

"Thanks, Cal. Tadashi will thank you for this. When he steps out from under his personal rain cloud." I rolled my eyes.

Calliope nodded. "Yeah, I noticed that he looked upset. What do you think it is?"

I shrugged. "He's one to hide his reasons when he's sad. Anyway, see you tomorrow?"

"For sure." Calliope hugged me, then headed down the street towards a black bicycle (presumably hers), giving me a wave.

I waved back, smiling, and shut the door.

 **A/N: So there was chapter 4. I'm sorry I didn't post this sooner! For a while I was super busy. Next week, I probably won't be able to post that much because of tech week and dress rehearsals for 'The Lion King' at my school. Did I mention that our drama club is doing that show? I got the role of Rafiki (what's funny is, in our adaptation, I have two solos and Simba only has one, lol. But it doesn't really matter). Anyway, some important questions; do you guys prefer books or ereaders? I, personally, can't stand ereaders. BOOKS FOREVER. I'm, like, halfway through** _ **Water for Elephants**_ **at the moment, and I love it. What are you guys's favorite books? And also, when I end this story eventually, what other shows and fandoms should I do? I plan to do more of these. Some people in the reviews section already have some pretty dang good ideas, so I'll most likely be using them. So, let me know what you think. Love you all!**


	5. Tragic Voice Cracks

**A/N: Is it a crime to be attracted to animated characters?... Okay, that was an awkward question. Don't answer it. Anyway, here's chapter 5. I had ZERO plans for what would happen in this chapter, so hopefully it isn't a complete fail. Love you guys and thanks for your amazing reviews! (Also, 'Summer Soundtrack', my other story, is still in progress, but I'm facing some serious writers block for it. Sorry, but I won't be posting chapter 7 on that story in a while.)**

 _Rehearsal Five; SFIT Performance; The Lion King_

(Hiro's POV)

All day, Tadashi acted in the same aloof manner as yesterday. He talked little, refused to be near anyone, and wouldn't even tell me 'good morning'. I don't think he even consumed anything at all.

By the start of rehearsal, Tadashi's skin was two shades paler than usual, dark circles were hanging under his eyes, and he looked like a zombie.

What was wrong with him? Whenever I asked, he just brushed me off.

"Okay, we're going to learn 'Grasslands Chant' today, everyone!" Erica bustled into the auditorium, smiling at her cast. We all mumbled sarcastic 'hoorays'.

"Oh, come on, guys. At least it isn't a hard dance. Nick and Hiro, onstage with all ensemble members."

We spent the next twenty minutes choreographing the number, which, thankfully, consisted mostly of everyone moving in lines and patterns instead of doing complicated moves (*cough cough* 'Lioness Hunt' *cough*) and me following Nick around.

Tadashi glared at Nick the entire time. He was most likely jealous; I was guessing that he wanted to play Mufasa in the play, his reason most likely being so he'd have more contact with me on stage.

"Good job, everyone. With practice, this'll look amazing. Okay, let's do… 'The Madness of King Scar'. I need Daniel, Honey, Henry, Zara, Matt, and James." Erica sheepdogged the ensemble offstage, Nick and I mixing into the flood.

Daniel swung out of his seat, letting out a whoop of excitement at finally being included. Zara laughed at him. Matt and James ( the boys who played Benzai and Ed, the male hyenas, in the show) followed her lead. Henry skipped after them in his usual perky manner.

I sat in the audience seats with Tadashi (Nick trying to steal the seat on my other side, but Calliope was too fast for him), watching with mild interest the choreography being organized onstage. This was one number I didn't really care about.

"Tadashi?" I leaned over to squeeze the hand of my depressed older brother. "You okay?"

"Eh." He shrugged.

"Okay." I tried to let go of his hand, but he just gripped my fingers tighter. He stared stubbornly at the back of the empty seat in front of him and lightly kicked his backpack with both feet in a perfect metronome that got annoying after three repetitions.

I turned instead to Callie. "Hey, Cal, yesterday I saw some of your sketches."

She blushed, crossing her arms over her chest. "You picked up my sketchbook when I dropped it, didn't you?"

"Yeah. And I flipped through it."

She cringed. "Verdict?"  
"They were amazing."

Her head snapped up. Her dark eyes looked surprised. "Really? They were actually good?"

"Yeah! Seriously, Calliope, you're an extremely talented artist." When I sat up straight and looked at Callie like her hair was on fire, Tadashi's larger hand went limp in mine.

"Thanks, Hiro." She focused her attention back on the stage, but I knew that expression on her face. That was the trying-not-to-squee face.

"Do you like her?"

The sudden whisper in my ear was enough to make me jump. I turned to meet the smoldering glare of Tadashi's coffee-colored eyes.

"No. Just friends, Tadashi. Don't worry."

"Just making sure." His shoulders relaxed and he let go of my hand.

Shaking my head, I decided to just silently read my lines to myself for the hundredth time. Tadashi's weird new manner was too much for me to handle at the moment.

A short time later, Erica proclaimed 'The Madness of King Scar' finished for the moment and said that we'd now be learning 'The Stampede' and the scenes directly before and after it. Basically the entire ensemble was needed for the actual stampede, while the hyenas pressured me into the stampede and Scar tossed Mufasa into it.

It took us at least an hour to finish that section; it all needed to be precise so it wouldn't look ridiculous.

But we got it. And, once it was done, we realized something important; pretty much the whole show- at least, for our adaptation- had been learned. Just a few scenes needed to be blocked, and we had to learn the finale and ending scenes, but otherwise, we knew the whole thing. Everyone let out a simultaneous sigh of relief.

"Onto the finale!" Erica announced.

We all gathered for the finale: 'Circle of Life (Reprise)'. Tadashi climbed onto Pride Rock- well, the upstage platform- and roared for exposition, making us all laugh in brief delirium. He sounded glorious!

Erica placed everyone and brought us through the simple choreography; no 'Lioness Hunt' leaps for us. It was mostly just everyone doing different things with their arms, all grouped around the platform.

On the last note, the highest note in the song, I think everybody's voice cracked.

The girls all had to hit a high, shrilly note while we guys had to hit a lower, harmonizing note (which was still pretty dang high for us). From what I heard, only Wasabi, Tadashi, Gogo, and Calliope had no trouble with their notes… and they were the only ones I could say that about.

But we fixed it. Thankfully.

I wasn't in any of the final scenes- Scar's death, Rafiki informing Simba's friends that he'd be going home, and Simba being appointed king. None of that. So, lucky me, I got to sit with Nick and Callie and watch my brother perform with a bunch of "actors" who weren't anywhere near as good as he was but were still surprisingly good considering they were nerds.

Actually, Gogo was okay. Fred too.

It took maybe thirty minutes for all of the final scenes to be organized (and there was a lot of script-reading. Clearly the only one who had memorized their lines was Tadashi). When, finally, they were finished, we could finally run the whole show (excluding the scenes we hadn't blocked yet).

My chest stirred with excitement. The thrill of performing was an amazing feeling that I knew would be even stronger on opening night.

With Gogo's cry, the first sound you hear in the show, the feeling intensified. _Time to focus_.

I wasn't sure how much time it took for us to get through everything we'd learned so far; I just knew it felt like an eternity.

"Five rehearsals in and we already know almost the whole thing," Erica praised us. We were milling about the stage, debating what to do now. "That's really great, you guys. Pat yourselves on the back."

Chuckling, I gave myself a good ol' pat on my back. Gogo walked up to me and thumped her hand against the small of my back. It was meant to be friendly, but it nearly sent me flying.

"When we have to wait backstage, want to be lonely with me?" Callie asked me, coming to stand beside me.

"Sure." I grinned. "Let's be lonely together."

Before I had time to say or even think anything else, I was hanging upside down.

"Hey!" My skull knocked around, making me dizzy as Tadashi, holding my legs over his shoulders, bounced me up and down and laughed as he spun me around.

I couldn't help but smile as I pretended to be exasperated. My brother was back!

"PUT ME DOWN!" I whined.

"Okay, okay." Tadashi swung me back over and set me down on my feet. I stumbled drunkenly into him, my vision whirling. "Easy there." He steadied me with both hands on my shoulders.

We all gathered around Erica in a lopsided circle, holding our hands in the middle.

"What should we say?" she asked, shaking her smooth curtain of dark hair away from her pale face.

"Tragic voice cracks," Fred suggested.

"I vote for that," Zara agreed.

"Okay then. One, two, three!"

"TRAGIC VOICE CRACKS!" we all yelled.

An hour later, Callie, Tadashi, Gogo, Wasabi, Fred, Honey, Daniel, Nick, and I were all chilling in a large booth at the local diner, chatting about the play and enjoying milkshakes of varying flavor.

I rested my head on the wall behind me, earning fairly concerned looks from Callie and Tadashi, who sat on either side of me. It was like they thought I was feeling faint or something.

"Just brain freeze," I told them to ease their overprotective worries.

The real reason was because Nick was across from me and I didn't want to look at him. Also, my neck hurt.

"So, what do you guys think about having a party at my house the night after opening night to celebrate, since we don't have a show that day?" Gogo took a lazy sip of her chocolate milkshake.

"I'd be down." Daniel kicked up his feet on the table, making Honey, who was sitting next to him, lean the other way and wrinkle her tiny nose.

I took a swig of my caramel milkshake. This time it really gave me a brain freeze.

"Opinion, Tadashi?" I looked at my brother.

"Huh?" He'd been busy having an unannounced staring contest with Nick (of course).

"I asked for your opinion on that party."

"Oh! Yeah, we should go. Definitely." He smiled, then picked up his cookies-and-cream milkshake and took a sip with his straw in the corner of his mouth adorably. I wanted to take a picture- then noticed that Calliope had whipped out her sketchbook and was already working on a drawing of exactly what I was looking at.

"Are you drawing me, Cal?" Tadashi's voice was slightly muffled by his straw since he was trying to hold that pose for Calliope.

"Yeah, just… hold still…tilt your head this way…perfect!"

 **A/N: Okay, lazy and terrible end for this chapter. Also, I'm sorry I didn't go into more detail on the choreography, blocking, and lyrics/lines. It would've been way too long if I did that. And, I'm sorry that I sometimes refer to Calliope as 'Callie', sometimes 'Cal', and sometimes 'Calliope'. Just know that they are all the same person. Question for everyone; who are your favorite Big Hero 6 characters? Love you guys, please review and give me feedback! I love to read your comments, they make my day and sometimes make my story. :) XOXO**


	6. Danger Is My Middle Name

**A/N: Our last dress/tech rehearsal for the** _ **Lion King**_ **play at my school was today. I'm EXTREMELY excited and nervous for our performance tomorrow; what might help is a quick 'break a leg' in the review section. Thanks everyone and enjoy chapter 6!**

 _Weekend Break; SFIT Performance; The Lion King_

(Hiro's POV)

The two-day break that we got from rehearsals was warmly welcomed.

"I tell ya," Daniel began, "If I had to go one more day without sleep from practicing lines, I would've gone senile."

We laughed. All of the actors playing the principle roles were gathered at the ice skating rink, where we were all lacing up skates. Saturday nights… and mornings… and just the whole of Saturdays in general were the best.

Calliope deftly laced up her skates and stood, watching us all struggle. "You guys suck at everything," she said with a chuckle so we'd know she was kidding.

"We don't suck, it's _you_. You're too good at everything." Matt earned a raspberry spit from Callie.

I stumbled the second I stood up in my skates. Thankfully Tadashi was there to catch me. He'd always had better balance than I.

"Thanks." I let him hold my arm until we were on the ice.

This had all been Gogo's idea (of course the skating-of-all-sorts addict wanted to meet up with everyone at the rinks!). All of us principle actors were growing closer and closer together as the days passed. Tomorrow evening would mark off a week of rehearsals; it was amazing that we'd come so far in just five rehearsals.

I wavered a little on the ice when Tadashi let go of me. I watched him jealously as he glided ahead of me, showing as much grace as Callie when she did the 'Lioness Hunt' dance. Thankfully, I wasn't the only one who couldn't skate; as Cal, Tadashi, and Gogo had a race down the longside, I slipped and slid awkwardly with everyone else. More than once, we all tangled on the ground.

But eventually, I got the hang of it. I wove back and forth through people, maneuvering towards and away from the wall when I needed a quick balance check.

Calliope slid easily past me with her hands behind her back. "Enjoying yourself?" She asked, facing me directly.

"Might want to watch where you're going." I grabbed the wall to stop myself.

She just laughed and sped away.

Grumbling, I set out again, trying my best to catch up with Callie- and collided with someone before I knew they were there. We both went down, hard. My shoulder cracked against the ice below me and I held back tears and screams as I struggled to catch my breath.

I didn't move. I just wanted to lay there and sink into the ice so I wouldn't have to feel the throbbing of my shoulder, the dull ache of the rest of me, the ringing in my ears. My head spun, my vision pirouetted, and I could barely hear the unfamiliar cry of, "Oh my God! Are you okay? I'm so sorry!"

The last thing I saw before everything went black was Tadashi's worried face.

I wasn't sure how much time had passed before I awoke. I also wasn't sure where I was or what was happening. The first thing my attention turned to was the strong hand on my shoulder- Tadashi. I could see him now, watching me open my eyes, his skin pale and eyes concerned.

"Hiro?" So Callie was there too… I could feel her hand on mine.

Someone lay their hand on my arm; it was immediately slapped away by Tadashi. So, Nick, it must have been.

And… Gogo. I could see her too, and some others… there were too many to focus on.

I gripped Tadashi's hand with my own. "W-What happened?" I mumbled.

"Oh, thank goodness! You're not hurt, are you?"

I didn't know this voice. I looked up to see a redheaded girl peering concernedly at my face. She must be the one I collided with.

"Um…" I thought about how to answer her question. Then I immediately figured it out. I groaned, clutching my shoulder, which had just given a painful throb.

"Easy there, easy." Tadashi's hand on my back, running up and down. Comforting me.

"I'll call a doctor-"

I think it was Wasabi who had started talking… Whoever it was, they were immediately cut off by a pair of medics sprinting up to me.

Tadashi took me aside while Callie explained what had happened. The redheaded girl, practically hysterical, claimed that it was all her fault and she should've been hurt instead.

"You feeling okay?" My brother's hands clutched mine.

Now that the world had stopped spinning, I was feeling a bit better. Only my shoulder's pulsing ache and the dull mutter of pains coming from other random areas of my body were causing me discomfort.

"I'll be fine." I squeezed his hands.

The medics came up to question me. The quiz was a blur; how I felt, who I was, the works. Right now, Tadashi felt like my only constant.

After the questions, I was free to go- my shoulder wasn't broken and they promised that it would be fine by Wednesday as long as I wrapped it in a bandage during the day and didn't excessively use my left arm. I could go to rehearsal but I couldn't dance full out. That was okay; at least I'd be there. I could sing, do some blocking and some scenes, but not much choreography. And, also they told me not to do much on Sunday. Just rest. Tadashi promised he'd amuse me somehow tomorrow.

"I'm sorry, Hiro," mourned the redhead girl.

"It's fine. As long as you aren't hurt, it's okay."

"I'm Megan, if you wanted to know."

"Nice to meet you, Megan." I shook her extended hand.

"Next time, I hope we can meet on friendly terms?"

I nodded, smiling. "Definitely."

We went our separate ways, me flanked by my fellow principle actors on the walk back to the multiple vans we'd come in (because Daniel and Zara both had large vans), and Megan going back inside. I'd offered to let my group stay, but they all said they didn't want to skate anymore after seeing what had happened to me. Which wasn't really that bad, when I thought about it.

"You know, I think I'll be fine at rehearsal." I crossed my arms and leaned back in my seat.

"I don't know if it'd be safe to go full out with your dancing." Wasabi earned a challenging look from me.

"He is right. Hiro, you are playing one of the most important roles in _The Lion King_. We cannot risk losing you." Nick leaned over to touch my hand. "I would be unhappy if you were to faint a second time."

Tadashi glared at Nick. "Just shut up, will you?"

I snapped my gaze at Tadashi. That wasn't like him. My brother was diplomatic and sweet most of the time. There was something terribly, terribly wrong here.

Sunday morning, I started to jump out of bed- then remembered that I didn't have to do anything today. I lay back down and slept for another thirty minutes.

When I awoke again, Tadashi was up and dressed. He was seated in his desk chair, spinning around in slow circles while he read over one of his scenes. I listened to him murmur the lines to himself, memorizing them. Stretching myself totally awake, I sat up in bed and watched him until he saw me.

"Oh! Good morning, my little invalid brother!" Cheerfully, Tadashi skipped over to my bed, sat on the edge, and leaned over to kiss my forehead.

"Ugh, Tadashi. What a thing to wake up to." I scrubbed a hand over my forehead, pretending to be disgusted.

He laughed, tweaking my nose like he used to all the time when I was younger.

"So, think I'll be okay to rehearse full-out tomorrow?" I kicked my legs over the side of the bed, sitting beside Tadashi.

"I don't know, Simba. It'll probably be dangerous…" Tadashi tilted his head expectantly.

"Danger is my middle name," I said with a devilish grin.

All day, Tadashi and I hung out in our room. Acting like my butler, he brought me anything I needed, from food and drinks to movies and the living room TV. We were currently curled up on the rug, watching _The Phantom of the Opera_ on DVD.

"The movie is nowhere near as good as the play," Tadashi stated. He'd seen the play and I hadn't. "The book is better too."

"Books are always better in your opinion," I grumbled.

I glanced around our room. We'd made a total mess of it a few hours earlier when we'd built a blanket fort. It was pretty fancy, with two separate rooms, a stash of candy, and an awning, which Tadashi and I were sitting under now.

Despite Tadashi's trashing of the _Phantom_ movie, he still sang every song. And it was pretty darn beautiful.

 **A/N: So there you have it. Another lazy end. But I'm sorta distracted because of the play tomorrow. Honestly, I'm really scared. What if I mess up? What if someone else messes up? What if the mics cut out? What if the sound guy doesn't play the right instrumental track? What if my makeup smudges?** **(first world problem right there.) But I'm also really excited! I feel like we worked too hard for it to end up being a sucky show. We'll just have to wait and see. I'll let you all know how it went in the author's note of chapter 7. Love you all, thanks for all your support!**


	7. Unbelievably Spectacular

**A/N: The show was AWESOME! The only messups were stuff nobody noticed (Zazu's hat fell off in 'Just Can't Wait To Be King', and adult Simba tripped over the steps for the upstage platform during curtain call), Timon had a great save when they started the Hakuna Matata track too soon, everyone told me I was great as Rafiki, I've never hugged so many people in my life, and I got to do two boys' makeup (I'm crushing on both of them) and some other people's makeup. So yeah! I LOVE performing and it was so fun and so awesome!**

 _Rehearsal Six; SFIT Performance; The Lion King_

(Hiro's POV)

The first five minutes of rehearsal were fine.

Then it all went to hell.

We started out doing the scenes we hadn't blocked yet, and blocked them. Erica coached everybody on how to move, what to say, how to say it. None of that was too bad.

Then came the dancing. Erica wanted to change a few things in 'Just Can't Wait To Be King', which meant I had to perform. I was determined to look like everything was fine, when really it wasn't. My shoulder ached steadily and I felt a little light-headed.

But I put everything I had into my dancing, fighting away the pain. A new fierceness seeped through my veins and pulsed through my performance, which was praised by Erica countless times. Nick also stopped to tell me how great I was doing, which made Tadashi literally bare his teeth like an angry tiger.

After a runthrough of the new dance, black spots were swimming into my vision and sweat was pouring down my face. I shook my head periodically, trying to clear away the blotches how I would clear away specks of dirt.

"You okay?" With Tadashi's hands on my shoulders, I felt steadier.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Could I maybe have some water or something?"

"Of course!" Tadashi started to leave to get his water bottle from the empty audience seats, but before he could, Nick stepped in front of me and handed me his own.

"Thanks." I tipped my head back and waterfalled from Nick's bottle, smiling with satisfaction as I handed it back. The black spots swam away.

Tadashi made a growling sound as Nick departed. "Why'd you drink that!?" He grabbed my upper arms. "What if he has a disease that got in the water? Or what if he poisoned it?"

"Relax, Tadashi." I blinked away the few dark spots that were left in my vision. "It's fine."

My big brother opened his mouth to say something else, but just then, Erica announced that we were going to run through the new dance once more, then we were going to run the entire hour-long adaptation. _Oh boy_.

"Are you gonna be alright?" Tadashi pushed away his annoyance.

"Yep. As long as I can drink water while I'm backstage." I was confident now. And, okay, maybe a little too cocky.

"Well, okay. Good luck, little brother." He brushed his hand over my hair, smoothing it back, once, then smiled and headed for the wings.

Before Erica called for the start of the number, Calliope grasped my hand at stage right. "You okay? You seemed a little off out there."

"I'm going to be okay." That one sip of water from Nick's bottle made my nausea melt away. I knew I'd be alright. I had to be.

"Just checking." Callie gave my hand a squeeze before returning her own hand to her side.

"Okay, 'Just Can't Wait To Be King' 2.0, take number eleventeen. Action!" Erica clapped both hands and hit play on the track.

"'Step lively. The sooner we get to the water hole, the sooner we can leave.'" Henry rolled his eyes, fitting for the scene.

Callie and I said our lines and began the number as we'd just learned. I gave it my all, relieved that I at least wasn't dizzy anymore. My shoulder still hurt, but the pain didn't drive me crazy anymore. The dance looked great and felt even better, and of course my singing was as surprisingly not-awful as usual.

Sweat darkened my collar and the back of my shirt by the time the song ended. I had to literally gasp for breath, determined not to pass out.

Tadashi caught up with me backstage and pressed a bottle of water to my lips, which I drank from greedily and gratefully.

"Alright, everyone! Take a five-minute break, then set for 'Circle of Life'!" Erica yelled.

Tadashi and I traded smiles. It was funny how Erica's peppiness had pretty much been replaced by a demanding, tough nature. It just meant that our show was going to be that much better.

"Good luck to you, Hiro. I am sure you will do a lovely job." Nick, coming up behind me, lay his hand on my shoulder blade and began to run it slowly down my back. The touch of his fingertips almost made me keel over and start throwing up the water I'd just drank.

Before I could slap his wrist away, someone did it for me. I turned to see my brother glaring at Nick.

"Get away from my baby brother," Tadashi snarled. Then he grabbed my arm and pulled me away.

"Why do you hate him so much?" I asked Tadashi once we were out of earshot.

"Like you don't?"

"True." I definitely did not enjoy Nick's constant harassment. His touches made me want to run away and hide somewhere where he'd never find me. Why was he so obsessed with me anyway?

"WHOLE SHOW, PEOPLE! THIS IS IT!"

Erica's yell made me jump. I hurried out onstage as if she'd chastise me for not being the first one on.

'Circle of Life' was particularly spectacular today; Gogo sang with a new confidence and strength. I almost wished I was in the audience just so I could see the performance how the people out there in those seats would on opening night.

The scene after 'Circle of Life' featured Gogo- well, Rafiki- asking the gods of a baby-naming website for a good name to call the new prince. The gods of said baby-naming website make the pitch for Simba, which Rafiki agrees with wholeheartedly. Well, that's not exactly what happened in the scene, but it's pretty much the gist.

'Grasslands Chant' happened next, and Nick and I came out onstage with ensemble. This number actually didn't fail terribly; there were no train wrecks, and neither Nick nor I forgot any one of our lines.

After that, Nick ran offstage and Daniel, flanked by Zara, Matt, and James, took his place. I skipped up to the lounging Daniel, actually spinning around once to accentuate my happy-go-lucky vibe. "'Hey, Uncle Scar, guess what?" I was putting everything I had into my performance.

"'I despise guessing games.'" Daniel rolled his eyes.

"'I'm gonna be king of Pride Rock!'"

None of us fumbled once on any of our lines. We all hurried offstage and on came the female ensemble members, Calliope, and Katherine, for 'Lioness Hunt'. Though I wasn't watching, I knew it had to be good, because all of Erica's yelling was praise.

I ran out onstage at the end for the scene where Callie and I ask Katherine (we changed it to Sarabi instead of Sarafina for the show because no one found Nala's mother necessary, apparently) if we can go to the "water hole", and she says yes, as long as "Zazu" comes along with us.

"'Step lively. The sooner we get to the water hole, the sooner we can leave.'"

Here it was again; the beginning of my solo number, that one that I'd practiced for countless hours. I gave it absolutely everything I had, knowing that I'd be allowed a long rest after 'Hakuna Matata', when I didn't have to return to the stage until 'He Lives In You'.

I was thoroughly exhausted after 'Just Can't Wait To Be King', but I tried hard not to show it. Calliope, Henry, Matt, Zara, James, and I had our scene now, where the hyenas threaten to eat the trio. Nick showed up to rescue us sooner than in the Broadway show (because we cut 'Chow Down', the song that would happen here but wasn't in our adaptation). Everyone but Nick and I left the stage. Nick and I said our lines, giving exposition to 'They Live In You', which came next. As much as Nick annoyed me, his voice was really beautiful when he sang this song.

After, we left the stage (since we'd also cut the Zazu-and-Mufasa scene that usually comes after that song) and were replaced by Daniel, Zara, Matt, James, and the ensemble for 'Be Prepared' and the scene leading up to it. The number sounded great from where I sat backstage beside Tadashi on an old costume chest. The outfits inside had to be from _Fiddler On The Roof_ or something.

"You were great. I could see you through there." Tadashi pointed to the crack between the curtain's edge and the wall, a window through which the entire down section of the stage could be viewed.

I blushed, swinging my dangling legs. "Thank you," I whispered.

We silently watched until I had to run out for the stampede scene.

I acted terrified, saying my lines perfectly. Erica praised me loudly from the audience seats.

'The Stampede' music started, and the ensemble flooded the stage with ribbons and cloth to look like a stampede. Well, a theatrical stampede anyway.

When Nick died, I had to fight back a smile. _Ha! You're dead_ , I thought. When Daniel- Scar- told me to run away and never return, I hurried to up center, where I started 'Hakuna Matata'. I fought away my exhaustion; I knew I'd be able to rest backstage after this.

Fred and Wasabi said their lines (while I held in inevitable laughter). When I had to say my lines, I said them with misery burning in my throat and zeal pumping through my blood.

The entire 'Hakuna Matata' number looked fantastic; everyone in the ensemble held up their "leaves" (which were made of green poster board and marker) and did the entire routine without a hitch. The Big Reveal ran smoothly and looked perfect; I scraped Tadashi's shoulder with mine as he passed me backstage, a silent way to say _Good luck_. He smiled at me before briefly parting the curtains enough to climb through and pop up on top of the platform.

"'It means no worries!'" my brother sang, throwing up his arms. He made his way down the platform steps, everyone fanning out to their previous positions for the rest of the song.

I watched the show with delight through the crack I could see from atop the costume chest. When I moved to where Tadashi had been sitting, I got an even better view of the stage; I could see everything except for the up section. Tadashi joined me on the chest to watch the next number, 'The Madness of King Scar'.

This one looked and sounded wonderful; Daniel was totally killing it. Zara, Matt, and James played their parts in the song perfectly, and Henry did an even better job than they, which was saying something. When Honey Lemon came onstage for her part of the song, she did a flawless job; I loved seeing this fierce side of Honey when she played her part. Playing the role of Nala allowed Honey an outlet to show everyone that she could be strong and fierce. The alternative to her normal gentle, cutesy manner was welcomed with open arms.

The hyenas, Zazu, and Scar were replaced by the ensemble for 'Shadowland', which Honey sang beautifully. The entire number looked breathtakingly lovely even from here and sounded tears-worthy. Gogo came out on stage to bless Honey, which looked amazing. That part really got me going, and I held back tears.

Tadashi went on for 'Endless Night' and the scene before it (since we were cutting the scene where Timon is stuck hanging from a branch above the river, the play jumped right to the scene where Timon, Pumbaa, and Simba are gazing up at the stars). As Honey came to the wing where I sat, I mouthed 'nice job' to her. She smiled at me, mouthing 'thank you' before joining Gogo on a nearby bench prop that must have been from a different show.

Instead of watching 'Endless Night', I squeezed my eyes shut and leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees, just listening to Tadashi's gorgeous voice. It sounded so perfect, so sheerly gorgeous, thick with emotion. Brilliant.

After 'Endless Night', Honey, Fred, and Wasabi went on for the scene where Nala and Simba are reunited and 'Can You Feel The Love Tonight'. The ensemble for this song had learned this dance over the weekend from a series of YouTube videos Erica put out and emailed them the links to, and this was actually the first time we were running the full song with ensemble input and everything. It looked fabulous, and nobody messed up too badly. There was a brief moment of panic where everyone messed up the same exact line and forgot not only the moves but also the words, and so looked totally clueless, but that wasn't too bad.

'Can You Feel The Love Tonight' came to an end, and Honey stepped up to center to join Tadashi and tell him about the destruction of the Pridelands. Their dialogue ended with Tadashi yelling at her, "LEAVE ME ALONE!", which I found totally hilarious.

Gogo skipped onstage, chanting, "WEEBANNA QUASH BANANA, WEEBANNA QUASH BANANA!" when she came upon Tadashi, she spun around, letting out a "WEEE!"

"'Creepy monkey. Will you stop following me?'" Tadashi turned his back on Gogo and took a few steps in the other direction. Gogo followed him, halting immediately when he turned around again. They continued the scene, and I didn't know if I was supposed to laugh or feel the edge that came with waiting for something big to happen.

Then, I had to go onstage for 'He Lives In You'. I joined Nick, Katherine, and Calliope on the platform, singing the background, which I actually liked a lot. It really added to the song. The entire thing was so moving and gorgeous that I had to blink back tears. No one messed up any of their lines, thank goodness.

The final scenes were all well-executed, and nobody failed too badly. I grinned, watching everything unfold. When Tadashi got up on the platform and roared to close the show, I laughed to myself, even as I was going onstage for the finale, which was 'Circle of Life (Reprise)'. It was one of my favorite moments in the whole show, when everyone came together at the end.

We ran through curtain call, and I gave a sweeping bow with Tadashi. I couldn't stop grinning. The entire show already looked amazing, and we already had it down even at rehearsal number six. And that was incredible.

Erica was applauding as she climbed the stairs to the stage and hurried over to us. "Wonderful, wonderful job, everyone!" She gathered us all in a massive group hug. "That was great! With a bit more polishing and practice, this is going to be unbelievably spectacular!"

We all put our hands in.

"We should say 'Unbelievably spectacular'," Calliope offered.

"Sounds good." Daniel nodded in agreement.

We all put our hands in and cheered "UNBELIEVABLY SPECTACULAR!"

Erica beamed at her wonderful cast of nerds. "Okay, you're all free to go. See you tomorrow."

We flooded into the audience. I gathered my stuff, sticking my script into my bag.

"Hey, Hiro!"

I looked up. Callie stood beside me, smiling, her black backpack slung over one shoulder.

"Oh, hey, Cal." I shouldered my own bag.

"You were amazing today. Who knew you could be so good?" Giggling, she gave me a little shove. I smiled, giving her a gentle push back.

"You were great too," I told her. "Nerdy girls sure know how to sing."

"Not all of them." Callie pulled her phone and headphones out of her pocket. "Want to come over after rehearsal tomorrow?"

"Sure, I'll see if I can." I smiled at her.

"Cool." She started to say something else, but was cut off by someone yelling for her from the doorway. "Mom's here. Gotta go." She waved to me as she left. I waved back, wondering where my brother was. We had to go home too.

I looked around the auditorium for five minutes and found no one but Erica.

Heading out into the now-empty lobby, I opened my mouth to call for Tadashi when I heard someone screaming from around the corner. The sound of Tadashi's name died in my throat.

 _Oh, no._

"Please no, please no, please no-" I repeated in a whisper over and over as I turned the corner into the dim side hallway leading off of the lobby.

Just as I feared.

Nick and Tadashi were engaged in a full-on fistfight. Blood streamed from my brother's nose and Nick had a black eye. They were screaming and yelling, a tangle of fists and sweat, oblivious to me as I stood, paralyzed. As sick as it was to watch, I couldn't stop. I'd never seen my brother look so angry, so ferocious, as he threw punch after wild punch into Nick's ribs, his chest, every part of him. They yelled profanities at each other and I knew if they kept this up they'd either be in huge trouble or get seriously hurt.

"STOP!" My piercing shriek made both boys cover their ears and glance up at me.

I hurried to get between them before they could start grappling again. "WHAT is going on here!?" I roared best I could. "Tell me. NOW."

"I was making my way to the exit, minding my own business, when Tadashi swooped in out of nowhere and assaulted me." Nick crossed both arms.

I rolled my eyes at him. My brother? Attack someone? Not a chance.

But Tadashi lowered his head, shoulders slumping. "He's not lying, Hiro. I pulled him over here and punched him. And then it blew up into a huge fight."

"You're lucky I'm not going to tell Erica. But, guys. I want to know what's been going on with you two over the past few weeks. Talk it out. Explain." I put my hands on my hips, adamant about wanting to know. I wasn't about to leave.

"It is my fault," Nick said casually, with no emotions at all. No guilt, no sadness. It made me sick, and hate for him coursed through my veins. "I want to be your big brother for the two months we are spending working on the play together. I do play the role of your father, after all. But your real big brother does not think that is such a good idea."

Tadashi nodded. "I'll always be your big brother, Hiro. He never will be." My brother's eyes snapped and he clenched both fists stiffly by his sides. "Don't ever let him."

"Tadashi, please." Nick stepped forward and placed both hands on my shoulders. "It is your choice to make, Hiro."

I yanked myself free of Nick. "Hold up just a second. WHY did you want to be my big brother?"

"I wanted to be your big brother because I think you are simply the cutest thing." It was weird to hear him say that in his monotonous voice. "I find you attractive."

I suddenly had the urge to puke. "Ugh!" I took a visible step away from Nick. "I choose Tadashi. My real big brother." I pinched Tadashi's arm with my thumb and forefinger. "This conversation isn't over yet. Don't think I forgive you." I turned then to Nick. "And you'd better stay away from me. Don't even look my way again until we have to for rehearsal. Okay?"

"You have my word." And with that, Nick took his leave.

"Hiro-" Tadashi began.

"Shut up." I didn't want to hear him explain. Not yet.

At home, I slammed our bedroom door behind us and pushed Tadashi onto my bed, not even bothering to turn the lights on. I snatched my flashlight from off my desk and lit it up right in Tadashi's face, illuminating a pained expression.

"Why would you _ever_ think it's okay to start a random fight with someone!?" I gave him a little slap across his face, but not hard enough to seriously hurt him or cause his nosebleed to start up again.

"He was insulting me, and you, and our brotherhood!" Tadashi defended himself.

"That's no excuse to go around starting fights! Why did you even let it bother you?"

"Because I hate when people try to steal you away from me! I love you too much!"

I fell abruptly silent, shocked, my jaw set. What Tadashi had just said made my chest grow warm.

He slapped a hand over his mouth. "Did I really just say that out loud?" The sounds were muffled by his palm.

"Tadashi!" And suddenly I was crying, hiding in Tadashi's chest, while he stroked my hair and cried too. We let go of all the tension, all the pain we'd been hiding ever since the first time Tadashi shot Nick a glare.

I guess I had no choice but to forgive my big brother. Because, in the end, he loved me and I loved him very much. And we wanted what was best for each other.

Tadashi pressed his lips into the top of my head. "I love you, Hiro. Don't ever stop being my baby brother."

"I love you too, Tadashi. And don't ever stop being my big brother."

I looked up into his shining eyes and knew it was my turn to kiss him somewhere. I pecked his cheek. Then I started laughing. I didn't even know why; the whole thing just seemed so funny now, and my emotions were even more confused. Tadashi laughed too. We laughed harder and harder until we were crying again. I draped myself over Tadashi and cried myself to sleep.

 **A/N: So I found out the other day that we're performing the show again- twice! YAY! These two shows are for the students at my school. Also, sorry I didn't update this sooner. I had so much going on- the play, then I had a party that was more like an EVENT (so it took a LOT of preparation), and then I had three friends sleep over, and then I was overly exhausted for days, so I had like no time to write or post anything. Sorry and I hope you're not mad! I hope you guys liked this chapter! Also, I'm changing this story to rated T instead of K+, just to be safe., because of the fighting in this chapter, some language and possibly mild Hamadacest later on, and some… upcoming things. I hope that's okay. Thanks for sticking with me, your reviews are so sweet! Love you XOXO**


	8. Look At Our Brilliant Cast Now

**A/N: So yeah. Hidashi is definitely out. I didn't intend for this story to be romantic in any way, but it just kinda happened. I'm sorry for anyone I might piss off, but I'm going to let this story develop in its natural direction. And chill out! Really. Nothing sexual will EVER be happening in this story. NEVER. Especially not with the Hamada brothers, who won't even end up in any romantic situations. I feel uncomfortable about writing sex scenes, so if I feel uneasy writing it, I'll feel even more uneasy posting it. So no sex, and only brotherly Hidashi. Cool? Cool. Also just know that the entire story is going to be in Hiro's POV, so I'm going to stop reminding you in the beginning of every chapter. On to the story!**

 _Rehearsal Seven; SFIT Performance; The Lion King_

Morning came with pale ribbons of light filtering around the blinds… and the sound of my alarm clock blaring.

"Mmmph… answer the phone…." My brother, still half-asleep, rolled over towards my bedside table- or at least, thought he was. He rolled in the wrong direction and toppled onto the floor while I laughed my ass off.

"Ha, ha." Tadashi, fully awake now, stood and silenced the psychotic clock, groggily combing his fingers through his black hair.

I shoved the wrinkled blankets away from me, muttering, "Get back, you demons," and hopped out of bed, trotting over to my closet. I was still wearing the clothes I had been wearing yesterday, which currently smelled like a mixture of dirty gym sock and boys' locker room. Basically the most popular cologne in hell.

Tadashi plodded to his own side of the room, his steps sluggish as if he were slogging through mud. He pulled the divider shut with one swift yank.

I switched my creased clothing for fresh jeans, sneakers, and t-shirt. I stole Tadashi's cap from my bedside table, where he'd left it last night, and headed for the bathroom to wash my face, brush my teeth, and comb my hair.

Cleaned up and looking less like a confused ape who'd just woken from a restless night, I joined my brother (who glared at the cap I wore on my head) and my aunt for breakfast.

"You're gonna give that back, right?" Tadashi snapped up the rim with his fingers.

"Of course not," I said nonchalantly, going back to my pancakes.

I threw on a gray hoodie over my yellow t-shirt and grabbed my backpack before leaving the cafe with Tadashi, ready for another full day at SFIT. Waiting for rehearsal.

* * *

It finally came. Before I even got on stage, I was sweating- from excitement, but also nerves about how I'd manage my stupid injured shoulder. In the wings, I gave it a cautious roll and curious squeeze. _Ouch_. Not a smart move.

Callie, next to me, shot me a look. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm okay." There was something particularly nice to have Calliope ask; since Nick had been keeping his distance, I'd kinda wished for someone to like me how he had (but in a less creepy way, please). Maybe… no. I couldn't do this again. But… I also couldn't ignore that thought.

 _Do I like Calliope?_

It seemed so crazy, after everything with Nick, to think anything romantic about _anyone_. But maybe, possibly, I could like Callie. A bit.

I watched her go onstage for a runthrough of 'Lioness Hunt', watching her dance with a grace and coordination that most nerds did not possess. She was really pretty, I had to admit, with her long hair shining in the stagelights and her gorgeous smile. Yeah, okay, maybe I kinda liked her a bit. But not a lot.

I jumped at a hand on my shoulder; thankfully, it was just Tadashi. He was watching Callie too, but more with admiration than the wonder I was eyeing her with.

"She's really good." Tadashi tipped his head towards Cal as she performed a particularly difficult leap. She executed it nicely, much better than the other girls around her (which sounds kind of mean, now that I think about it).

I looked up at Tadashi for a moment. He flicked his eyes over my face, probably wondering why I was looking at him. My brother. _Brother_.

At that moment, I had to run out on stage for my lines. It was a blessing to escape from the awkwardness that lingered backstage with my… _brother_. Ugh. Gross.

Calliope and I said our lines, and there was something so pretty about the way she looked at me with her big doe eyes.

Even as I left the stage, the thought was so prominent, a neon sign right in front of my mind's eye. _YOU LIKE CALLIE, YOU IDIOT!_

Oh, man. Did I?

"Psst, Hiro." She poked my shoulder. "Erica just called you."

"Oh!" I jumped, hurrying out onstage. "Yes?"

"I had a thought." Erica emerged at the top of the stage stairs. "How would you like to be in part of 'Endless Night' with Tadashi?"

"Huh? What?" Though I was confused, I liked this idea.

"I was thinking that during one part of 'Endless Night' you could come out and sing harmony, since you're a tenor and Tadashi's a baritone. I thought it'd be pretty, and we'll put Nick up on the platform. You'll be like memories or whatever, or you could symbolize the young child still in Simba."

I blinked. Then I smiled uncontrollably. "Yes!"

"Okay, I need Tadashi and Nick!" Erica yelled. "BACKSTAGE CHORUS, ORGANIZE FOR 'ENDLESS NIGHT'!"

Erica positioned Nick on the upstage platform and told him to just stand still and look out above the audience members' heads. She told me when I'd come in; from stage right, as Tadashi sang the line 'Father, I can't find the way'. I was instructed to walk slowly up to Tadashi and start singing at the chorus; for now, she told me to just sing the same notes as Tadashi unless I knew how to harmonize. I told her I didn't.

Erica said that after the chorus ended, Tadashi would take my hand and then the chorus would come on for the end of the song, dressed in the black outfits they'd wear for the end of this number. And we'd all sing.

We ran through the new plan, with Tadashi (and I, at the right time) singing. It was so moving; every moment of it. So beautiful. When Tadashi tucked my hand into his at the exact moment he was supposed to, I had to fight away a smile. This was going so much better than I thought it would.

We started another runthrough, and it ran just as smoothly as before… until the second chorus was over.

It all seemed to happen in slow motion.

One of the choir people tripped over the ankles of the person in front of them, sending every one of the choir members to the floor in a massive heap. Nick cried out and leaped down from the platform to help, but slipped on the bottom step and fell flat on his face in the pile. Tadashi started to run over, but forgot he was holding my hand, and so pulled me down. I smashed into him and we both sprawled on the floor. Callie ran out from the wings to aid us, but she collided with Honey Lemon who was trying to do the same thing, and they crashed to the ground. Erica tripped as she was running up the stairs and fell.

The whole process took about ten seconds.

Daniel sauntered onstage from left wing, smirking at us as we all groaned and tried our best to sit up. He looked at every one of us for a split second each… then exploded into a fit of almost psychotic laughter. He was leaning on the wall, tears running down his face, laughing so hard his face resembled a watermelon, then a tomato.

"Look at our brilliant cast now!" He roared between laughs. "Fell off Cloud Nine, didn't you!?"

Back to laughing.

Tadashi stood up, reaching out a hand to help me, which I gratefully accepted. For a moment, we just stared at Daniel, before I started chuckling too. Nobody seemed to be hurt, so the whole thing was pretty funny. Actually, it was _really_ funny. I laughed harder and harder, Tadashi joining me. Everyone got up and brushed themselves off, laughing with us- and soon the entire auditorium was filled with the crazy laughter of fallen nerds.

"Okay," Tadashi started, rubbing his eyes as he began to calm down. "Let's run through it again."

"And if anyone trips, I'll hunt you down," Fred called as he and everyone else who wasn't Tadashi or Nick headed backstage.

"My God," Callie whispered. She stood next to me backstage while I waited for my cue. "That was amazing."

"It really was." I scrubbed my hands over my face. It was difficult to ignore the blazing pain in my left shoulder, but not impossible.

At my cue, I returned to the stage, walking carefully. I didn't want to trip. Not at all.

I stood beside Tadashi, trying to harmonize, singing a third-step higher than what he sang. To my surprise and delight, it didn't sound half bad. From here, I could see tears spring into the eyes of Tadashi and even Calliope. My own eyes moistened, my vision blurring softly. Amazing.

The song ended, everything having run perfectly (nobody tripped, thank God), and I retired to my backstage seat on the costume chest, beside Calliope.

"You like him, don't you?" She nodded at Tadashi.

"What?"

Oh, man. She thought… she thought I liked my _brother_.

I fought the urge to laugh. A while ago, I would've told her yes, I did. I would've told her I was in love with my brother. But now, I could only say, "He's my _brother_ , Cal." I wanted to tell her 'I like you, not him,' but the words wouldn't come out, no matter how much I forced them.

"So?" She shrugged.

"I love him, yeah. But I love him how most people love their brothers. He's my protector, my role model, but not my lover. Not even close." I gave her my most confident, honest smile.

"If you say so." Callie took a sip from her green-and-black striped water bottle.

Damn, she was so gorgeous. Not even how the bratty public-school popular girls were. They were fake. Calliope was one of the most real girls I knew, and that just made her even more beautiful.

"Not gonna find many like this one, trust me, brother."

I yelped, leaping off of the bench in an instantaneous reaction to the sudden voice beside my ear. I found myself face-to-face with Tadashi.

I glared at him, giving him a little punch in the chest. Laughing, he tried to ruffle my hair, but I ducked away from him. "What was that for?"

"Just warning you not to let Callie go. Believe me, she's the best you can have." My brother gave me a two-fingered salute and hurried away to respond to a call from Erica.

"Gee, thanks, Tadashi," Calliope, who was struggling to hold in her snickers at the whole scene she'd just witnessed, muttered at Tadashi's receding back before excusing herself to practice her lines in the greenroom.

Bored, I spotted a nearby stack of random novels sitting nearby. How exactly had those gotten there?

I went over to examine the stack, having nothing better to do. Nine novels formed a neat tower; _The False Prince_ , _Treasure Island_ , _The Great Gatsby_ , _Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban_ , _Black Beauty_ , _Gone With The Wind_ , _Water for Elephants_ , _The Fault In Our Stars_ , and, most intriguing to me, _The Phantom of the Opera._

Picking up the novel by Gaston Leroux, I idly flipped through the pages. They rustled with an inviting whisper. I couldn't fight the temptation; I had to read it.

Erica didn't seem to need me right now (they were working on 'Can You Feel The Love Tonight', which seemed to be taking forever and didn't involve me), so I took a seat on the costume chest and opened to chapter one (skipping the prologue due to time). Before I started reading, I noticed on the inside cover a signature scrawled in blurred pen. It was Calliope's signature, but in a childish scrawl. This must be her book.

 _'It was the evening on which MM . Debienne and Poligny, the managers of the Opera, were giving a last gala performance to mark their retirement.'_ Immediately, I was sucked into the world of _Phantom of the Opera_.

* * *

"Hiro?... Hiro?"

"Huh?" My eyes flickered open to see several blurred faces surrounding me. "What's going on?"

"You almost stayed here overnight!" Tadashi gently took the book from its sprawled position across my chest.

"What? What time is it?" I checked my watch. _Whoa_. It was already six thirty! Rehearsal had ended an hour ago.

"Hiro, what happened?" Callie stepped forward to take my hand, which instantly made my fuzzy vision clear.

"We worked on 'Can You Feel The Love Tonight' the whole time. Nobody noticed you weren't around until rehearsal ended and Tadashi didn't see you. He said you must have gone home with Calliope, to her house, and so he went home, but then Callie called me and said that Hiro wasn't with her, so we all came back to SFIT and searched everywhere for you." Honey's eyes were wide with concern.

"I was just reading this book. I must've set it down for two seconds and then fallen asleep." I held it up, then remembered. "Oh! It's yours, isn't it?" I handed it quickly to Calliope, noticing that the rest of the stacked novels weren't where I'd found them. I saw a few titles tucked under Callie's arm; the rest must be in her bag.

"Yeah, but... you can keep it if you want to read the rest." She smiled, dog-earring the already dog-earred page to mark my place and giving me the book back.

"Thank you." I was amazed at how nice she was, and at the moment she was just so beautiful and so perfect that I wanted to kiss her.

"Oh!" I slapped my forehead. "I was supposed to go to your house tonight, wasn't I?"

"It's alright. Tomorrow?"

"Of course." I smiled sheepishly at her.

Tadashi put his brotherly hand on my shoulder. "Don't do it again. I was so scared. I almost called the cops."

His voice was so deadly serious that all I could manage was a nod.

"Well, that's figured out." It was Gogo who'd spoken; I noticed that she, Wasabi, Fred, Honey Callie, and Tadashi were the only ones here.

"Alright. C'mon. Let's all go home. I'll drive." Wasabi pulled his keys out of his pocket.

We piled into his boxy car, huddling together. Callie was pressed up against me, and I turned my head to whisper in her ear. "Thanks for letting me keep _Phantom_. I loved the five chapters I read backstage."

"No problem," she whispered back. "It's my favorite book of all time! I have two other copies at home. One is my oldest copy, that I've had since I was, like, six. I read the book so many times back then that the pages started falling out and my parents bought me a new copy. Said copy is the one you're holding now, which I had from eight years old to ten years old. My parents bought me a fancy hardcover meant for serious lovers of the book for my eleventh birthday, so I read that one now. I have plenty of copies, so you can totally keep that one. Scribble out my name if you want."

I smiled. "Naw, I like it just the way it is."

 **A/N: This story is SO much more fun to write with T-rated language! So, random questions for you guys. Are you more of the 'stay at home and read on Friday nights' kind of people or 'Friday night is party night' kind of people? I'm the former, definitely. What about you? And also, what do you guys like to read (besides fanfictions)? I'm a novel-lover, but I'll read pretty much anything. I love reading 'Nintendo Force' magazine and all sorts of nonfiction books almost as much as I love fiction novels. Also am I the only one on the world who is obsessed with research? I love to just research random topics and quiz myself on them. (I can hear the chorus of voices yelling "NERD!" in my head.) And finally, do you guys like fantasy or realistic fiction better? I like both. Thank you all for reading and reviewing, I love you! Mwah XOXO**


	9. Parallel Universe

**A/N: So, finally saying goodbye to my role as Rafiki. And I'm so SAD! I'm really going to miss the show and everyone in it, as well as my role and all the songs I sing. I loved every minute of the experience… okay, you can stop listening to me now. Read the chapter. Love you guys!**

 _Rehearsal Eight; SFIT Performance; The Lion King_

"EEEEWWW, FRED! THERE'S A GUMMY WORM BACK HERE!"

"THAT WAS WASABI!"

"DON'T BLAME ME, YOU'RE THE ONE WHO USES THAT PROP!"

"KATHERINE, WHAT DID YOU DO WITH MY LEAF FOR 'HAKUNA MATATA'!?"

"WASN'T ME, HEATHER! I THINK HENRY TOOK IT!"

"DON'T LOOK AT ME, IT WAS MOST DEFINITELY MATT!"

"GIVE ME MY STAFF BACK, DANIEL, OR YOU'LL GO HOME WITH A BLACK EYE!"

"YO, ZARA, WOULDN'T MIND SOME HELP WITH MY GRASS CORSET!"

"CALLIE! I THINK YOU HAVE MY LEOTARD!"

Yes, that last yell was me.

We were doing costumes today for some reason. Guess what the base of my costume was? A leotard. A freaking leotard.

It was a dirty beige color, with long sleeves marked up in brown and black in a lion-claw-esque pattern. Calliope would be sporting the exact same leotard, and she had somehow ended up with both of them in her "personal costume trunk", which was really just a cardboard box with her name on it.

"HERE YOU GO, HIRO!" She chucked the leotard at me, and the crumpled piece of clothing hit me squarely in the face.

"THANKS A LOT," I sarcastically yelled back.

"GUYS, STOP BLOWING OUT YOUR VOICES!" This enraged yell came from Erica.

We all abruptly fell silent.

I pulled on the loose dark brown vest with an orange-and-black leaf pattern that would go over my leotard, along with long, baggy khakis and- if all that wasn't embarrassing enough- a pair of Callie's tan Uggs. She'd sworn to me that they'd never been worn before and had been given to her as a gift from her crazy aunt, which for some reason didn't make me feel any better. It wasn't like I'd expected Callie to wear the stupid furry boots all the time; I'd never seen her wear anything but the same old beat-up black Converse. Right now, she was being forced to wear the other pair of Uggs her crazy aunt had given her, which she looked very uncomfortable in.

The rest of my costume would consist of a tribal-patterned scarf tied around my waist to gather the center of my vest, some brown face paint that hadn't been elaborated on yet, and an itchy, awkward, large lion head that would sit atop my own head.

I looked over at Calliope. She looked gorgeous in her costume, which actually wasn't too different from mine. She wore the same leotard, but she made it look awesome. She had a short, sloppily tied short skirt on in the same pattern and color as my vest, along with a wide necklace of the same material that covered her chest. She had brown leggings underneath her leotard and cute little lion ears atop her head (via headband). Her makeup would be brown, orange, and yellow, according to Erica. Callie's long hair was pulled back into a French braid that looked very becoming.

"You look great, little brother." Tadashi smiled at me, putting on a matching lion head. He made it look cool, unlike me. Tadashi's costume looked cool too, again, unlike me. He wore a loose three-quarter sleeve off-white shirt, a vest like mine but looser, a brown/green/white/probably-orange-somewhere sash tied around his midsection, baggy beige pants, tan Uggs (borrowed from Honey Lemon), and a furry black mane-like… _thing_ that hung around his neck and had colorful tribal patterns painted on it. His makeup would match mine.

"So do you!" I meant it.

I grinned over at Gogo, who was pretending to slip and fall nearby, making the hyenas laugh. Her costume was great. She wore a leotard similar to mine, but hers was crimson with wide, wavy orange and white stripes on the long, dark red-brown sleeves. Over that, she wore a beaded corset of a similar color scheme, deep red, white, dark brown, black, and orange forming random blends and patterns that looked like patterns but really weren't. The beads dangling from the bottom and top edges of the corset were clear and red, alternating in color. Around her waist, the top tucked under her corset, was tied a black scarf with gold tribal patterns so it looked like a knee-length skirt that hung unevenly, with little black fringes on the edges. Around her neck was a tribal-patterned, wide necklace that formed a barrier between her clavicle and everyone's eyes. Underneath everything she wore a pair of black tights, a black tank top, and no shoes. In her right hand, she grasped a bamboo staff that was taller than she was, with empty nutshells gathered on top to make a pleasant rattling sound when she shook it. On top of her head was a black-and-gold tribal headdress.

A few feet away from Callie, I saw Daniel wearing the Scar costume, all yellow and dark brownish-red and black. All of the lions had similar costumes, I realized. Nick's costume was great, as much as I hated him, orange and tan and gold. He looked like an autumn forest, which I guess was fitting for Mufasa.

"Everyone looks amazing!" I think Honey Lemon was the only person who'd spoken in a tone quieter than a yell since before we'd come backstage.

"Damn right, we do!" Zara grinned, slinging her arm over Matt's shoulders. They looked awesome in their silver-and-black hyena costumes.

Nick took Katherine's arm, which made me grin (even though I still hated him, as I've previously mentioned. Just remember that I freakin' hate that guy.) They really looked like a royal couple, with Katherine's gold-and-yellow costume that complimented Nick's autumny getup.  
Honey was right. Everyone _did_ look amazing- except for me. I looked as awkward as a baby giraffe trying to stand.

"Do I look like an older version of him?" Tadashi asked Gogo, putting both of his hands on my shoulders from behind.

"You _always_ do." Gogo rolled her eyes, but she smiled at the same time.

"Well, do I look like a younger version of Honey?" Callie asked us, nodding her head at the lanky girl nearby.

Well, no. Calliope didn't look like a younger version of Honey- unless they were in costume. In real life, though, they couldn't even be mildly related, the way they looked. Honey was toothpick skinny and curveless, with straight golden hair and huge blue eyes and glasses. Calliope was short and curvy, not fat, definitely, but not as skinny as Honey. Callie was more muscular than Honey, and definitely had bigger breasts even though Honey was older. Cal's hair was long as well, but hers was wavy and brown with golden highlights and a tiny bit of frizz ever lingering along her lightning-bolt-shaped part. Her eyes were large too, but hers were dark brown and doelike. No, they didn't look alike without costumes.

"Alright! Everyone, we're running the whole show right now _in costume_!" Erica was obviously way too excited for this. I found it funny how she was at least twenty-eight years old and she still did the jump-up-and-down thing that little girls do when they're excited about something.

Gogo climbed up onto the platform that would be lurking upstage throughout the entire show, and everyone clustered around her with their arms raised. I smiled. It look way better than it usually did, with everyone in their costumes. And that was just plain exciting.

Opening night was creeping closer and closer, though at a snail's pace; we still had a month and a half of rehearsals, and then five shows. I couldn't help but feel a little nervous. Thank God my shoulder had stopped hurting.

I yawned, almost regretting my decision to stay up under the covers and read _Phantom of the Opera_ last night until three in the morning. It was _such_ an amazing book, there was pretty much no way for me to feel too guilty.

Then I went out onstage for 'Just Can't Wait To Be King', and discovered how unwise my activities last night had been.

I tried my best not to slog through the routine, but by the end I was so exhausted that standing was a minor difficulty. The number felt like it lasted ten minutes longer than usual.

"You okay?" Calliope and I were sitting together on the costume chest (which was pretty much reserved for her, me, and Tadashi at this point) as we waited for our next appearances in the "adult era" (this was what Calliope, a die-hard Zelda fan, had dubbed the section of the show where Tadashi and Honey took over the roles of Simba and Nala. She'd based this name off of the Zelda timeline).

"Yeah, I'm fine," is what I said, when what I really wanted to do was lay my head on her shoulder and sleep.

"You know, if you want to nap real quick, I'll wake you up before you go on again."

"You really are something." I couldn't be more grateful as I leaned against Callie and fell right asleep.

* * *

I wasn't sure how long I'd been asleep when I felt Callie shaking me.

"Hiro? Hiro? It's almost time for 'Endless Night', wake up, wake up!"

"I'm up." I lazily swatted at her hands so they'd cease their shaking.

I hopped off the costume chest, feeling a bit more energized than before. But not much. I still really had to thank Calliope for that nap. Maybe at her house later, I could reward her. Oh, gosh, that came out wrong. Get your mind out of the gutter!

I stepped up to the wing, running my fingers through my hair before replacing the stupid lion head that cast a shadow on my soul. At the right moment, I approached Tadashi at up center, singing harmony best I could. It must have looked and sounded pretty freaking amazing, because Erica was stunned into silence. That _never_ happened. She always had something to say to us. But not now. She was speechless.

"Okay, that one is totally flawless. We can put it on the backburner for a little bit," was all she said to us. I could see the tears in her blue eyes, even behind her glasses, and I nodded.

Backstage, I took my seat beside Cal again. She was dabbing at her eyes with a tissue that had somehow materialized. Maybe someone carried a tissue box with them everywhere; I didn't see any in the periphery.

"Uh, Callie? Are you okay?" On instinct, I laced my fingers through hers.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." She crumpled the tissue and randomly tossed it somewhere. "That was just so beautiful out there. You know, it's really moving, some of the stuff we manage to do on that stage. Notice how rehearsals always feel shorter than they are. When we're here, it's as if time has suspended. We have our own little infinity at rehearsal. Our own parallel universe, where there's nothing but this play and the people in it, and all of the beauty we create together."

"Yeah." What she'd just said was so wise and so powerful that I couldn't think of a better response than 'yeah', apparently. I felt dwarfed next to her; not physically, but mentally. She was so much more poetic than me, in everything she did. The whole of her spiels were more beautiful and meaningful than any of my ridiculous speeches. The meaningfulness of what she'd just said was enough to make anyone's eyes mist.

And it made her one of the most amazing people I'd ever met.

"I agree one hundred percent, Calliope. You're totally right." That was a _little_ better than 'yeah', but not by much.

"Aren't I always right?" The cockiness of that statement reminded me that Callie was just a person, a person with her ups and downs, her very own personality. She wasn't a living poem.

"Well, most of the time."

We laughed together (which earned us a quick scolding from Erica, who wanted us to be silent backstage so as not to disturb the performance).

Callie and I went out for 'He Lives In You' ready to build more in this infinity, this parallel universe, creating a beautiful thing with every movement, every word.

* * *

"Great, great job today, guys. Guess what? You did so good, you don't have to come to rehearsal tomorrow."

We all laughed at Erica's comment. Tomorrow's rehearsal, according to an email from Erica that we'd all received last week, had been cancelled due to SFIT open house, where enrolling students would take a tour of the building and learn more about "our fine institution".

Everyone had removed their costume, and we all had our hands in, ready to go.

"What should we say today?" Erica asked.

"Parallel universe," I blurted.

Everyone looked at me funny, but nobody seemed to have a better idea, so we counted off and cheered, "PARALLEL UNIVERSE!"

"Gee, wonder what gave you that idea," Callie whispered sarcastically in my ear.

I smiled.

* * *

"Ugh!" Callie snapped her pencil in half with an odd ease.

I stared at her, wide-eyed. "What is it?"

"I can't figure out this damn problem!" She tossed the broken remains of her dead pencil into the funeral bin (well, the trash can).

"Need help?" I got up from my spot on her floor and hurried over to where she sat at her desk.

We'd been doing homework in her room for hours. It was comfortable in there. She had a plush green rug on the polished wooden floor that reminded me of grass, so I'd chosen the seat on the rug beside a tall floor lamp that cast a warm glow across the room. The walls were black-and-white striped; her bed was made with green, black, and white bedclothes; her desk and bedside table (both housing too many stacks and lines of books to count) were made of the same dark wood as the floor; and all manner of posters hung on the walls, from Cal's favorite band (Linkin Park) to her favorite anime (Death Note) to her favorite Broadway show (Phantom of the Opera).

She spun exactly three times in her black crushed-velvet swivel desk chair in the time it took me to cross the room and lean over to study the notebook page she was doing out her work on. I smiled at her little sketch of L from Death Note in the margins before focusing on the problem she was having trouble with.

Even though we were doing homework, hanging out with Callie was fun. She just had the sort of energy and aura that made anything fun, that lit up the entire room like an incredibly bright lightbulb had replaced the Earth's core. I loved it, and I loved her, so much.

"You just made a tiny error here, see? Your first step was off." I walked her through what she'd done wrong.

"Thanks so much, Hiro!" she enthused when she'd finally ended with a right answer. "I owe you for that one."

"There's only one thing I want as payment." I was surprising myself with my own confidence.

Callie, smirking, stood from her desk chair, moving closer to me, while a voice in my head screamed, ' _Hiro!? What are you DOING, tiger!?_ '

"By any chance, would that thing possibly be this?"

With that, Callie took my face in her hands, raised her chin, and pressed her lips to mine.

My eyes fluttered shut as a million P and S waves from the earthquake of my heart travelled through my body. I could practically feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end as the air crackled with invisible electricity. Her lips were warm and soft, pillowy and silky, and she tasted like an interesting but not unpleasant combination of strawberries and salt water, with a small touch of cinnamon and campfire.

Too soon, her lips were off of mine, and she was looking up at me with a smile. "Well?"

"Yeah, that was the payment I wanted. But I'll still accept five bucks."

She laughed, and I laughed too. I didn't, I _couldn't_ , feel guilty for that kiss (I was still feeling aftershocks in my veins), but a nagging worry that wouldn't go away was of what my overprotective brother would think.

 **A/N: So yeah. I had to have a Hirolliope (my new OTP) kiss at the end, for the shippers. My question for you guys this time is what is your favorite song? Mine is currently 'Good Enough' by Evanescence. Oh, and 'Brick By Boring Brick' by Paramore. And 'Remembering Sunday' by All Time Low, 'Faint' by Linkin Park, and 'Game Over' by Falling In Reverse. That's all for now, love you guys! XOXO**


	10. Combined Energy

**A/N: I think Hiro Hamada is hot. I spent seven full, unbroken hours playing Skyrim once. I listen to too much more Starbomb and Ninja Sex Party than is considered healthy. I know all the words to 'The Last Unicorn'. (Those were some random facts about me). Enjoy!**

 _Rehearsal Nine; SFIT Performance; The Lion King_

After three days off, I think everyone was glad to go back to rehearsing.

I'd invited Calliope over one day, and she, Tadashi, and I had spent that whole day practicing together. I'd told Tadashi about her now being my girlfriend, and he'd (thankfully) been totally cool with it, even being happy for me. He didn't seem to really care that I'd sort of be stolen away from him. But I'd always love my brother. Family is the tightest bond of all, and we'd always be there for each other.

Now, we were all onstage listening to the notes being provided by Erica. She had been studying a recording of our latest full-show rehearsal religiously over the short break. She'd written on a neon pink legal pad everything she had found wrong with the performance, having critiques for everyone.

"Lioness Hunt girls, when you lift your leg for that one move, you should turn it like this." She lifted her leg to show them. "Got it?"

Most of the girls on stage tried it out and nodded.

"Tadashi," Erica began, flipping to another pink page, "in 'Endless Night', you have to look less sad. You're not really depressed; you're just undecided, misguided."

My brother nodded. "You just rhymed. You're a poet; did you know it?"

"Ha. Hiro and Calliope, in 'Just Can't Wait To Be King', you both need to put more into your facial expressions and act more like best friends."

We looked at each other and nodded.

"Also, Hiro, you need to be a little more in shock in the beginning of 'Hakuna Matata'. And Calliope, you also need to watch when you pin Hiro. It looks a little too fake."

"Zara, be more gangster. Matt, be less gangster. James, be more obnoxious."

The hyenas nodded and linked arms.

"Gogo, be more old-baboon psycho than killer psycho."

After Erica had read off her notes to everyone, she said that we'd run the show today with no costumes or makeup, but we would do sets and lights. She'd revise the show as we performed, like she always did, but this time she'd actually stop it if it wasn't going exactly how she wanted it to instead of just yelling directions (which she would still do if the scene only required a quick fix).

By 'Just Can't Wait To Be King', I was shaking.

"You know, you're really brilliant. Don't worry, you'll be fine," Callie had whispered to me before we'd gone onstage. Now, I remembered that as I did what Erica had said; I exaggerated my facial expressions and acted like Callie was my super close tomboy friend, both of which generated a smile from Erica.

When I started to dance and sing, with my facial expressions more detailed than before, I felt the transforming effect that always washed over me when I interpreted this character on stage, only this time, it was much stronger. I felt like the real goddamned Simba. Everything I did was not something I did; it was something Simba did, possessing my body like a wonderful demon of the stage. It was, truly, pretty badass.

Erica clapped when the number ended, smiling. "That was exactly what I was looking for, guys! Great job! Moving on!"

Backstage, Calliope and I high-fived.

The whole show took more than two hours to complete, due to Erica's frequent start-overs, lectures, critiques, and pauses. But we eventually got through it- and when it was done, we were all exhausted, sweaty, and ready to go home.

"Is it time to leave yet?" Fred had taken another fall in 'Hakuna Matata', this time on his hip. He'd claimed to not be in any pain, but it was obvious in his frequent wincing.

"We still have another two hours of rehearsal," Wasabi said apologetically.

Fred groaned and flopped backwards on the prop mattress he'd claimed for the twenty-minute break we were getting between runthroughs. Callie and I had taken the costume chest, and Tadashi was sprawled on his side on the floor in front of us. We'd all already put on our costumes, since Erica wanted to try the show with lights, costumes, and sets. It was kinda funny, seeing everyone in costume, lounging around backstage. Sort of like seeing _The Lion King_ reduced to real life.

"Is it just me, or does this costume make me look fat?" Calliope stretched out both legs, tapping Tadashi's shoulder with her toe. He turned with an eyebrow raised.

"I think you look beautiful," I told her truthfully.

She shoved my arm and smiled. "You're only saying that 'cause you're my boyfriend and you have to."

I laughed, shaking my head. "Sure, whatever you say. You're not fat, Cal, trust me."

She only rolled her eyes and took my hand.

"Hey! I have an idea," Honey spoke up. "Why don't we all meet at the new coffee shop on the corner after rehearsal?"

"I'll be there." Gogo raised a hand.

"I have basketball practice." Heather, an ensemble girl who was in one of my classes, shook her head.

Weird. I didn't know anyone at the nerd lab played sports.

We found that the only people who were free were the principle roles. It was like the universe wanted us to hang out more.

"Alright, guys!" Erica yelled. "Up onstage! Set for 'Circle of Life'!"

We all scrambled to follow her directions, not wanting to get chastised for being slow.

Callie squeezed my arm quickly, whispering 'Break a leg' before the lights went down for the beginning.

"NANTS INGONYAMA BAGITHI BABA!" Gogo announced.

I never tired of that sound.

The feeling lingering on the stage was that electricity of a big moment. Something important was happening.

Every second of the show was perfect. Nobody made even one mistake; in fact, everyone performed _better_ than they usually did. I think we were all basking in combined energy.

Erica was clapping and even crying a little as we ran through curtain call. Our director had made very few comments during our show; and they were all good.

The cast all high-fived each other. I picked up Callie and swung her around, both of us laughing, then Tadashi bear-hugged us both at once, making us laugh harder. We all celebrated our first beyond-perfect rehearsal.

"Well, what do you know?" Erica said, half to herself. She had climbed the stairs to the stage and was now milling about with us. Everyone turned to face her, gathering into our traditional circle. "Turns out that nerds have talent after all."

We all laughed at that. It was obvious, though, that Erica was getting emotional, and it was rubbing off on her cast.

"You all did an incredible job today. I thank you all for the effort you're putting in to this production. Frankly, I think our show is going to kick ass! And I have you all to thank. You guys don't even need me. You're all so good, and you're doing a great job with this. Alright, I hope you all enjoy your evenings, and I'll see you tomorrow."

We put our hands in.

"We should say 'combined energy'." Calliope, with that suggestion, caught my eye and smiled. I swear we were connected telepathically.

"I don't think anyone has a better idea. We'll go with that." James grinned at everyone, flipping his dark hair.

"COMBINED ENERGY!"

We yelled it with even more zest than ever.

 **A/N: So there ya go. Sorry I** **didn't upload sooner! I was SUPER busy for this past week. On a completely unrelated note, I just finished reading** ** _Ready Player One_** **by Ernest Cline. It was AMAZIN. Think a futuristic video game adventure on steroids. So, question time: do you guys prefer historical fiction or** **sic-fi future stuff? I love both. That's all for now, I'll have a new chapter up soon (hopefully).**


	11. What Theater Is Supposed To Be Like

**A/N: Hey guys! Oh my God, I'm SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO sorry that I haven't been posting anything. I've just been extremely busy; school is taking up a lot of my time, and also I'm currently part of the cast of a show, and I'm stage crew for a different show, and I spent a week with no wifi. I'm sorry, but this chapter is going to seem lazy and uninspired. Also, I'm working on several other stories for my Wattpad ('hollymrp', if you want to check it out) that are time-consuming. So, yeah. I hope this chapter doesn't make y'all lose your faith in me. I still love you 3**

 _Rehearsal Twelve; SFIT Performance; The Lion King_

Two rehearsals had passed since what I liked to call the 'important rehearsal'. It had just gotten better from there.

Everything was starting to look and sound even more incredible than it used to, we were all getting used to our costumes, and nobody had fallen over for days (with the exception of the clumsy and awkward James, who somehow managed to fall over by just standing there). I hadn't been this happy in years, and I could tell that the positive vibe came from everyone, and everything they did. The whole stage and those who inhabited it for each rehearsal were swimming with optimism, and it was the best environment possible for a show as elaborate as this one. The entirety of the cast got along despite our differences, and we were more of a family than ever. In fact, I was noticing a few family roles being played.

Honey Lemon was the mother hen, taking care of everyone on set and keeping us calm when something went horribly wrong. Daniel and Fred were the "Weasley Twins" (christened by Calliope, a long-standing _Harry Potter_ fan), mischievous and always making us laugh. Calliope was the bold, creative, and fun-loving daughter, always sketching, practicing, writing, or just singing for fun, and never failing to be an interesting addition to our cast (and my love life). Tadashi and I were the playful brothers, joking around with each other and everyone else, but sobering up when necessary. Gogo was the rebellious and tough older sister, bringing a stronger side to the group and always providing a sarcastic sense of humor. And Nick, ever present, was the quiet and old-fashioned father, speaking softly and intelligently, always seeming older than everyone else. I guess I didn't really mind him too much anymore.

"That was great, you guys!" Erica praised us when we finished a performance of 'Just Can't Wait To Be King' that I had thought to be particularly strong. "Let's do it again, but this time, with bigger facial expressions, and more _energy_."

We all nodded, moving quickly to our starting positions. I immediately thought of a phrase to keep in mind for the performance; _when you think it's strong, make it stronger_.

And, as I over-exaggerated my facial expressions as much as I could; _whenever you think you're doing plenty, do more_.

" _Much_ better," Erica observed by the end of the number. "Hiro, you're doing especially well. I think I made the right decision with you."

I smiled and inclined my head at her praise.

"Alright, we'll block those two scenes we haven't blocked yet, then run the whole thing. Also, I forgot to tell you guys-" she paused for emphasis, "I shortened the rehearsal time by three weeks."

"WHAT!?" The exclamation came from everyone- some were shocked, some angry.

Erica smiled a little secretively, pulled her glasses halfway down her nose and pushed them back up again, and flicked a wayward strand of glossy hair over her shoulder. "You've been doing so well, there's really no reason for five more weeks of practice. I think we're just fine with two more. Really, it's a compliment."

Some people didn't seem to think so. "Now wait just a minute!" Daniel stepped forward, sticking a finger in Erica's face. "How are we supposed to be ready in two weeks? There's still two scenes we haven't blocked, a bunch of scenery we have to paint, and a lot of people who haven't totally memorized everything and look lost in the middle of one of the big dance numbers!"

"Daniel, please. Control your temper." Nick placed his hand on Daniel's raised arm, making him lower it to his side. "Those are all problems that are easily solved. We all must work doubly hard, but I have no doubt that we will be able to accomplish this, though it will be no easy feat."

"Nick's right," Fred threw in. "We've got this, guys! As long as we work hard-"

"And work together!" Honey interrupted.

"Yeah! Teamwork!" Callie thrust a fist into the air.

"-then we can do it! We can! WHO'S WITH ME!?" Fred put out his hand.

"I!" Wasabi immediately placed his hand on top of Fred's.

"I!" Tadashi and I, displaying our creepy brotherly unison, each put in a hand of our own.

Everyone copied us, placing their hands in with cries of 'I!'

The final one to put in a hand was Erica. She gave us a smile as she said "I", looking prouder than ever of her cast.

So we got to work. We blocked those scenes, and everyone put in the most extreme effort possible without overacting. I knew, if we kept this up, if we all tried this hard every time we did anything on this stage, then we'd be able to have a spectacular show in two weeks time.

"Top of the show, people! Don't mess up!"

"Great pep talk, Erica," I heard Zara mutter sarcastically under her breath, smirking a little.

"I know, right?" James whispered as he raised his arms for the top of the number. Gogo climbed the steps to the top of the platform, looking to all the world like a god.

Her cry in the beginning, "NANTS INGONYAMA BAGITHI BABA!" was as strong and resonating as usual, ricocheting in my eardrums. Her second announcement was even stronger than the first, the third topping even that one. Gogo was putting in all of her effort, it was obvious. If we all expended that much effort, then this was going to be the best rehearsal yet.

"'I'm gonna be king of Pride Rock!'" I could feel a powerful excitement rushing through my entire body, charged by the magic of theater. I _was_ Young Simba. This was _me_ , and I _knew_ what I was doing. There was _no_ way anything was going to stop me!

For the rest of the rehearsal, I didn't perform. I _lived_. Everything felt so natural, so meaningful, that there was no way it was an act. This play was stylized life happening, at least to me.

Every song, every scene ran flawlessly. I couldn't see everything, but what I could see was the best I had seen from this cast. Better than perfect. The whole show, this time, was unlike any other rehearsal so far. This time, we were creating a new universe on that stage. We were bringing the whole auditorium to life, filling it with sound and color, inviting an imaginary audience into our world of action and fun.

When curtain call rolled around, Erica was wiping tears from her eyes and applauding.

"That," she began, "is what theater is supposed to be like."

"How much do you wanna bet Erica shaves off another week of rehearsals?" Backstage, while de-costuming, Fred gave me a high five.

"I'll put in fifteen." Daniel clapped Fred on the shoulder.

We were all in very high spirits after the phenomenal rehearsal, traipsing around like we were drunk, all hugging or high-fiving.

Someone grabbed me from behind, their arms wrapping around my waist, laughing. I turned, eye-to-eye with Calliope. I kissed her, heat-of-the-moment, full on the mouth. My friends around me wolf-whistled or whooped, slapping me on the back or humming 'Here Comes the Bride' when our lips parted.

"Keep the PDA away from backstage, if you can help it." Gogo rolled her eyes, but I could see her concealed smile.

"Sorry." Callie grinned sheepishly. But she didn't let go of my hand until I whispered "I kind of have to change out of my costume."

"Oh! Yeah! Sorry!" Face pink, she found her own costume box and started unlacing her corset.

At home, I meant to go over my songs more with Tadashi, but I was _waaaay_ too tired. I collapsed on my bed and fell asleep within seconds of my head hitting the pillow.

 _Lion King_ lyrics and choreography and blocking mashed up with my conversations with Callie and Tadashi, with Erica's constant yelling, with the chatter from the cafe every morning, creating one massive melting pot of chaos and confusion. The unrest of working on a show was taxing on my mental state, it felt, and I was spiraling out of control. There was no way for me to help it, which was alright, because I loved it. I loved _Lion King_ , and I loved being a part of a cast, and I loved working on a musical. The stress was not fun, but there was nothing to be done about that. You had to feel pain to feel joy. And that was how theatre was. Painful, joyful, tedious, and enjoyable, all at once. I loved it. I knew our cast had it in them to finish in our show in two weeks.

There was no doubt in my mind that we could do this.

 **A/N: So there you have it. I apologize again for not being around. This story is NOT on hiatus. If you guys have ever been in a school play or something and have had any funny experiences backstage or during rehearsals, I could really use your help! Also, has anyone else read** _ **The Miseducation of Cameron Post**_ **? I recently finished it, and I think it's awesome. Check it out if you want. I love you all, your rates and reviews mean so much to me :) Sorry again for not posting anything! Stay tuned!**


	12. Exotic Birds

**A/N: I finally have a free moment! My teachers were supergenerous today and only gave me one assignment, so I can actually write something! The madness of tech week begins next week. I'm SUPER scared. Sorry, but I'm going to have to end this story soon. I was running out of content anyway, so I'll be finishing this one up soon. For a comeback of this BH6 play thing, with all the OCs from this story, how would you guys feel about** _ **Mother Hicks**_ **? It's not a musical, but it's an extremely well-written play that I hold very close to my heart. I was stage crew in a performance of it, and I got to know the play and cast so well. The guy playing Tuc was actually deaf, and he was just the best guy. He was so nice, and playful, and intelligent, and there were moments backstage when I'd forget he was deaf and I'd just start talking to him, and he'd just give me a weird look, and then I'd remember. By the closing of the show, the whole cast, because it was relatively small, was a part of my family. I'll never forget anything about it, that's for sure. So, would it be cool if I did that play with these characters? I think it'd be pretty cool if it took place after the fire, and instead of dying (I honestly don't think he's dead tbh), Tadashi survived unscathed except for deafness, and then he could play Tuc. So let me know how you guys feel about that. Also, if you guys are wondering about the new character, Rainy of the stage crew, she's based on one of my friends from** _ **Mother Hicks**_ **. She's the coolest; I felt the need to honor her in a story that I love writing. She's also the inspiration for Firethorn in my Wattpad story** _ **Life's Strange Ways**_ **. Anyway, I've talked enough. On with the story!**

 _Tech Week; Dress Rehearsal One; The Lion King; SFIT Performance_

"Are you sure you're ready? Do you need me to do anything else? I could fix your makeup or-"

"Rainy, I swear! I'm fine!"

"Okay! Just making sure!" Rainy grinned at me, brushing back her mop of dyed black pixie-cut. She was a senior, but was no taller than me. She smiled often, her pretty, pointy elf face pleasant and porcelain pale. She was a member of the stage crew, and so far was my favorite of all of them.

"RAINY! WE NEED YOU!" Gogo's harsh shout came from the opposite wing.

"Coming!" Rainy called in her sweet voice. She passed me a Hershey kiss from her purse before waving and disappearing around the corner.

Rainy had been helping me into my costume and doing my makeup and hair for the past half-hour. She was always careful not to mess up anything, and was both quick and precise. She managed to finish all of her tasks in a timely fashion, but with care and deliberateness unpossessed by any of the other five stage crew members.

"Rainy's the best."

I jumped. "Callie, you scared me!"

I could hear the quiet sound of a Gorillaz song drifting through one dangling earbud. She had one pressed into her ear and the other was just hanging there, a sort of dead weight.

"Sorry. I'm kind of insensitive to that kind of stuff." She laughed good-naturedly, giving me a quick kiss on the cheek.

I looked her up and down, smiling and nodding in approval. "You look great, Cal."

"Thanks much, Hiro. You don't look too bad yourself." A grin alighted her already-beautiful features, making her even more beautiful. She gave me a playful shove, which only made her prettier, to me. I gave her a little shove back, and she laughed and pushed me a little harder. I retaliated with a strong push, right into a rack of costumes.

"Damn!" She caught herself on a dusty gypsy costume that must have been from _Hunchback of Notre Dame_ , which they'd done here before I was even born. "You fight well, young Padawan."

"Why thank you, master." I pretend-bowed to her, making her laugh.

"Why'd I choose you, Pikachu?"

"Maybe because of my golden charm and charming gold." I winked and crossed my eyes, having no idea what I'd just said. We both cracked up.

"You make no sense sometimes," Callie said with finality.

Everyone left the backstage area, gathering in a bunched herd on stage. I flicked my eyes around the group, everyone in their colorful costumes and makeup like a flock of exotic birds. Nobody's eyes had the same emotions inside of them. Callie's eyes were fiery and confident, Honey's nervous and unsteady, Tadashi's calm and cool, Gogo's practically rolling with pretending not to care. But I could see the layer of nerves behind the veil of indifference.

I wondered what my eyes looked like. Did I look terrified? Prepared? Or… what?

"Alright, guys." Erica stood her ground in front of us all, grabbing our attention without doing anything but speaking in a normal tone of voice. "This is it; the beginning of hell. Tech week."

We all laughed. I'd never been through a tech week, but I'd heard horror stories about getting no sleep at _all_ for the entire week. "We're going to do this show with every element in place; I'm not expecting it to be audience-ready today; I want to fix all of the little details this week. It should be audience-ready on Friday, when we actually have to show this to an audience."

I think we were all hanging on Erica's every word.

"So, is everybody ready to do this?"

"READY!" We all chorused.

"Then let's get started! Top of the show, people! Let's do this right!" She clapped her hands and jogged offstage to a front-row seat where she could yell at us and we'd hear her.

We all cheered. Now every set of eyes had a layer of joy. Here we were, perfecting and fine-tuning this show for an audience that would be seeing this show in… oh, God! Four days!

"Crap," I muttered.

'Circle of Life' went amazingly well; Gogo's voice was strong and pure, filling the theatre to capacity with the best opening so far. I almost forgot I was watching Gogo; when she had that costume on and sang this song to the best of her ability, it was as if she _became_ Rafiki. She melted into the role with ease. It wasn't difficult to appreciate her fantastic performance.

The show went smoothly, to say the least. Actually, it was better than _smooth_. It was _brilliant_. Everyone gave stellar performances; it was really hard to tell who was actually on stage, since everyone embodied their characters so well. But it still felt like we could do even better. It'd be freaking phenomenal if we did this but with even more coming from it. I wanted to move our audience on Friday; I wanted to invite them into our magical world of dancing animals and plants, of song, of color. I wanted them to be transported, for all of their troubles to dissolve into nothingness, if only for one night. We could do it, I knew. We just had to do better than our best.

I gave my all… almost… in 'Just Can't Wait To Be King'. I had a little more in me than what I was giving, I realized. I only realized it after the song was over, unfortunately.

Callie picked up on my slightly disappointed look after I came offstage. She touched my arm and whispered, "You'll do better tomorrow. Promise."

I just nodded.

Everyone else seemed to pick up on my off mood, and the rest of the show wasn't nearly as good as it could've been.

I think we were all frustrated by the time rehearsal was over.

When I left the building, shouldering my bag and running through what I could do better in my head, I caught sight of Callie, dressed in her jeans and t-shirt, Young Nala makeup still on her face. A curtain of wavy brown hair hung over her face, hiding it from the world, as she bent over her sketchbook, her legs stretched out. Her seat on the curb seemed an odd and vaguely dangerous place for sketching, but her pencil was moving furiously, as if she just couldn't wait to get out her vision out on paper. Rainy sat next to her, watching her draw with an amazed look on her face, but Calliope didn't even seem to notice.

"Hey, Cal! Watcha drawing?" I dropped to a crouch next to her. I didn't have too much homework; I could afford to spend a few extra minutes with my girlfriend before going home.

She looked up, startled. "Huh?"

I stifled a chuckle. Her dark eyes were wide, making her look like a stunned deer caught in headlights. "What are you drawing?" I said it slowly, as if speaking to a young child who was learning to talk.

"Oh!" She held out her sketchbook to show me. "...This."

It clearly wasn't finished, but was absolutely stunning so far. It was a drawing of the cast on stage in the disorderly flock we'd been in. I could perfectly see everyone's emotions in their eyes, just from Cal's delicate precision. When I saw that they all had birdlike wings, I grinned. So she'd noticed how much like vibrant birds they'd looked, just like I had.

"It's _amazing_ , Callie." I meant every word.

"Really?"

"Yeah! You're amazingly talented." I grasped her hand for a moment.

"He's right," Rainy said at her side. "It's a fantastic sketch."

"Thanks, guys." Callie couldn't have looked happier.

I opened my mouth to tell her about how I'd seen the birds too, but before I could, Tadashi called, "Hiro! C'mon!"

"Coming!" I turned to the girls. "I've gotta go. See you guys!"

"Bye Hiro!" Rainy waved.

"See you tomorrow," Cal leaned up to kiss my forehead.

"Bye, Cal. Okay, I've gotta go. Bye!"

I had to sprint to catch up to Tadashi. Always ahead of me.

 **A/N: I'm SO super sorry for the shortness of this pathetic chapter! The thing with the birds was inspired by a thought I had at rehearsal for the show I'm currently in, and a sketch I thought of doing of everybody. So, I have to go now, but I love you all so much! I don't own anything. Okay, bye guys! XOXO**


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